Any Ordinary Day
by gladrags2012
Summary: A sequel to "Not Knowing", the team are trying to develop relationships while the everyday business of spying continues. Suddenly, having a real life seems a lot harder than they expected.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Having a 'real life' turns out to be harder than they imagined.**

Dan and Aneisha returned to school on the same day after being released from hospital. They had each been poisoned with a drug which was meant to hypnotise people when given at the correct strength, but in an experiment they were given too high a dose which resulted in heart failure. Dan took a deep breath. "Hm, doesn't smell of disinfectant. Nice," he commented.

Aneisha grinned in agreement. "Yeah. Didn't think you could miss traffic pollution," she said.

"Hey !" shouted a voice behind them. Tom jogged up beside them, his bag flailing along behind him. Dan was surprised to find that although Tom was out of breath as usual, he didn't look as tired as he usually would. "Okay, glad I caught you," Tom gasped between breaths.

"Tom, have you been training or something ?" asked Dan curiously.

"Yeah ! Can you tell ?" exclaimed Tom, looking pleased. "I've been doing some running. Thought it might come in handy some time," he said grinning happily.

"Wow, great Tom !" said Dan in surprised admiration. "How many miles are you doing each day ?" he asked.

Tom frowned. "Er, well, I wouldn't say miles. Not just yet anyway," he said rather sheepishly. "Kind of, more like, erm, round the block. That's all," he added quietly.

Dan glanced at Aneisha and felt bad for dampening his friends spirits. "Well, it's great that you've started Tom. I'm really proud of you," said Dan.

Tom's face nearly split in half with the grin that broke out on it. "Thanks. I'm going to be mission fit !" announced Tom, punching himself on the shoulder, then wincing ruefully and rubbing his shoulder.

Aneisha stifled a giggle and said, "Maybe we should get inside. It's nearly start time," she suggested.

They were greeted by a grinning Keri when they entered registration. "Hey Tom. How's the training programme going ?" she asked.

"Oh pretty good actually. I made it all the way round last night without stopping," reported Tom happily as he threw himself into his chair.

Keri looked at Aneisha and Dan who could barely hide their smiles. "Round what ?" Keri mouthed to Aneisha.

"The block," Aneisha mouthed back to Keri.

"Big block ?" Keri mouthed, stretching her hands out to either side.

"Little block," sniggered Aneisha, holding her finger and thumb slightly apart.

"Oh ! Well, good effort Tom," said Keri out loud, hiding her smile in her sleeve, as she pretended to be pulling something out of her bag. Dan and Aneisha were left staring at the ceiling and floor in an effort to hide their laughter.

At the start of break their pencil communicators began to flash. Frank greeted them as they walked into base. "Team ! Good to have you all back !" said Frank with a happy smile. It was impossible not to smile back. "How are you both feeling now ?" Frank asked Dan and Aneisha.

"Good. Yeah," said Dan. Aneisha nodded.

"Excellent. Medical have ordered that you be placed on light duties for a few days until you return to full fitness," explained Frank. Seeing Dan about to protest he held up his hand. "A precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the team !" said Frank heavily. It was clear that he was taking no arguments. As Dan backed down, Frank continued, "So, if there are any emergencies requiring our involvement, Tom and Keri will be taking on the field mission roles and Dan and Aneisha will be providing support from base."

"Er, did you say field ?" asked Tom tentatively.

"That's right," said Frank. "I understand you have upped your physical fitness training," he said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together.

"Er, yeah," said Tom faintly.

"Good. You might need it," said Frank. "Oh and Dan, we will need you to brush up on your computer skills. I've set you a training programme to complete. You can do it during the school day and I've arranged remote access so you can continue from home," he explained. It was Dan's turn to look dismayed. "We don't want to let down our team mates do we ?" asked Frank pointedly.

"No, we don't," whispered Dan. He took a deep breath. How hard could it be ?

An hour later, Dan was sitting in the IT room, starting up Frank's training programme. He blew out a deep breath and slumped in his chair.

"Daniel ! What are you doing in here ?" demanded a sharp voice.

Dan jumped upright in his chair and looked round startled. "Oh, Mrs. King. Erm, Mr. Flatley asked me to complete a maths tutor package so that I could catch up with the lessons I missed while I was off sick Miss," he stammered.

"Oh !" said Mrs. King, looking surprised, but pleased. "Well, that's an excellent idea Daniel. I'll leave you to get on with it then," she said, leaving the room with a smile on her face.

Sighing, Dan turned back to the computer. This was going to be tough. Tom did everything so easily that there had never been any incentive for Dan to learn to do the same things at half the speed. Well, his chickens had finally come home to roost. He was going to have to learn and quickly. If he didn't, then Tom and Keri could end up in real trouble. Dan pulled his chair closer to the desk and started up the application.

At the end of the day, Dan arrived at the school gates feeling exhausted. Aneish walked up beside him looking equally worn out. "What have you been doing ?" asked Dan.

"Frank has had me doing data searches and CCTV checks all afternoon," complained Aneisha. "I'm going cross-eyed from staring at grainy TV footage of guys in hoodies," she added. "How about you ?" she asked.

"I think my brain is already full," groaned Dan. "I can't seem to get anything else into it," he said, rubbing his forehead.

Keri danced up, followed more slowly by Tom. "Hey guys ! How's it going ?" she asked cheerily.

"Getting there," said Dan. "What have you done to Tom ?" he asked, watching Tom trailing slowly towards them.

"Hm ? Oh, Frank arranged some extra physical training for us both," she said with a grin. "He thought that with Tom's extra fitness training, he would be ready for something a bit more challenging," she explained, winking at Aneisha.

"Tom ?" asked Dan.

"Don't ask. Just, don't ask," said Tom heavily. "I don't think I'm ever going to be able to lift my arms again," he complained, heading straight out of the gate.

"Tom ? Hey, aren't you going to wait ?" asked Aneisha in surprise.

"I daren't stop. I don't know if I'll be able to start moving again," said Tom over his shoulder.

Aneisha looked at the other two and then jogged after Tom. "I'll walk with you," she offered.

"How's the computer training going ?" Keri asked Dan.

Dan sighed. "Well, let's just hope there are no emergencies in the next few days," said Dan.

"Oh, that's so going to happen !" said Keri, laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. A fish out of water.**

"_How's the computer training going ?" Keri asked Dan._

_Dan sighed. "Well, let's just hope there are no emergencies in the next few days," said Dan. _

"_Oh, that's so going to happen !" said Keri, laughing._

"So, you doing anything tonight ?" asked Keri, twisting on her heels and looking at the ground.

"Oh, you would not believe it. I'm not even half way through Frank's computer training programme," groaned Dan. "I'm going to have to spend all evening on it," he explained. He stared at Keri longingly, and when she finally looked up, she caught his gaze.

"Okay, well I guess I can't argue with that," she said hesitantly.

"Keri, you and Tom are going to be relying on me and I can't get it wrong !" said Dan, sounding really worried.

"Hey, it's Okay. I understand," said Keri, giving him a hug. "And don't worry. You'll be great. Just do your best," she said with an encouraging smile.

Dan could barely muster a smile back. He had a feeling his best wasn't anywhere near good enough.

Dan worked on the computer training before his dinner and all evening afterwards. His Mum knocked on the door with a hot chocolate late in the evening. "Are you still working ?" she asked. "Is it a big assignment ?" she asked sympathetically.

"Oh, thanks Mum. Well, I've got to get the hang of this before tomorrow," said Dan, not wanting to go into details. "It's really important," he added.

"Well don't go on too late. Sleep is really important too," pointed out Dan's mother.

An hour later, Dan wasn't getting anywhere. His head was throbbing and he was nearly crying with frustration. How did Tom make this stuff look so easy ? Tom ! Why hadn't he thought of that before ? Dan called Tom on his mobile.

"Wha' ?" came a muffled response eventually.

"Tom ! Mate ! I need help," explained Dan. "Tom ? You there ?" he asked when there was no response.

"What ? Dan ? I was asleep," complained Tom's voice.

"Really ? I thought you were always up playing Bladequest at this time," said Dan in surprise.

"Yeah, well normally I would be, but I was so shattered after Frank's training today, I just crashed," explained Tom. "What do you want ?" he asked rather grumpily.

"Well, I'm trying to run this firewall cracking software and I can't get it to work," explained Dan. "I just don't get it !" he complained, resting his head on his hand.

"What's it called ?" asked Tom with a sigh.

"Erm, Dynamo Data Beetle," said Dan.

"Huh. Bit old that one !" grunted Tom. "Look, you run it as an App and point it at the firewall network address as input data, got it ?" he asked.

"Erm, didn't understand a word of that mate," said Dan truthfully.

Tom sighed dramatically. "I'll show you tomorrow alright ?" he said tiredly and closed the call.

Dan looked at his phone glumly. He wondered if tomorrow might be too late.

The next day, the team assembled in registration as usual. Tom was walking strangely. "What's up with you ?" asked Dan curiously.

"I think I pulled something in my groin," moaned Tom. "I can't even lift my arms in the air ! My neck's so stiff, I can't turn it," he said, falling into his seat like a wooden puppet whose strings had just been cut. "Did you get that firewall thing working last night ?" he asked Dan.

"Nope," said Dan, rubbing his eyes. He was so tired ! "I kept trying for about another hour and a half and then I woke up on the desk, so I went to bed," he told Tom.

"I don't know if I can stand another day running facial recognition software on random criminals !" complained Aneisha. "My eyes still won't focus."

Keri looked at them all cheerily. "Well, my evening was just dandy !" she said happily. "Would you like me to tell you about it ?" she asked.

"No," the others all replied flatly.

By lunchtime all of the team apart from Keri were getting tired and grumpy. When their communicators started to flash there was a group groan before they all hauled themselves down to the Janitor's cupboard. Aneisha worked the access switch with her thumb print and they all lined up in the lift before plummeting to their base.

"Ah, team. We've got an assignment," announced Frank, looking apprehensive. "How are the preparations going ?" he asked them tentatively.

They looked at one another dubiously. "Well, everything's just fine with me !" said Keri hopefully.

"Tom ?" asked Frank.

"I can still walk," said Tom. Frank looked at Aneisha pleadingly.

"I haven't gone blind yet," Aneisha reported. With his face falling Frank turned to Dan.

"Just don't ask," said Dan, before dropping into Tom's usual chair.

"Well, the country is depending on you," said Frank faintly.

"Oh God !" muttered Tom, gently banging his head against a concrete pillar. "Did you have to say that ?" he asked.

"Well, I'm ready !" declared Keri, wishing that people would look a bit more pleased. "Does anybody care ?" she asked.

Dan looked up at Keri tiredly and smiled. "Of course we do Keri, but you're going to be relying on me on the computer, Aneisha working the software systems and Tom's combat and running skills," Dan explained. "I hope you're feeling pretty damn good, because you're going to need to be," he said desperately.

"Right then. Excellent," said Frank unconvincingly. "Let's get started !" he said, nervously clapping his hands together. Tom took a step towards the computer chair and then stopped when he saw Dan sitting there. "Ah, Dan, could you pull up the mission video please ?" asked Frank.

Dan stared at the computer and frowned. He turned to Tom. "It's on external drive D," said Tom. Dan turned back to the computer and stared at the screen hoping to find something with the label Tom had mentioned. With a sigh of relief he found a tab and clicked on it. A video started to play on his screen.

"Erm, the big screen please Tom, er, Dan !" said Frank hastily.

"Function F3," Tom hissed in Dan's ear. Dan did as he was told and the video started playing on the big screen. They all turned to watch.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Invisible surprises.**

"_Erm, the big screen please Tom, er, Dan !" said Frank hastily._

"_Function F3," Tom hissed in Dan's ear. Dan did as he was told and the video started playing on the big screen. They all turned to watch._

"This is a top secret government laboratory earlier today," explained Frank. They all watched intently. They were looking at an ordinary corridor in a building. Suddenly a door on the wall exploded open. After a pause, an armed guard could be seen being thrown out of the door and hitting the wall opposite, falling to the ground unconscious. Some smoke started to pour out of the doorway. Then the video stopped.

"Was that it ?" asked Tom curiously.

"Yes. Dan, I need you to play it again and I want you to focus in on the area in front of that door just before the doors are blown open," instructed Frank.

Dan managed to restart the clip and then realised he didn't know how to zoom in. He tried to think what he normally did on computers when he needed to zoom in. Shrugging his shoulders, he clicked the cursor over the area of the picture in front of the door. The image zoomed in. He felt like leaping from his chair and cheering. Tears of joy were forming in his eyes. Boy, get a grip ! He had to be seriously tired ! Dan quickly rubbed his eyes, to be sure of removing any moisture. He glanced around to check that nobody has noticed. Everyone was staring at the screen so he'd got away with it. He blinked a few more times to make sure.

"Did you see what I saw ?" asked Tom.

"Er, no. I'll run it again," said Dan in confusion, but now clicking away more confidently. The image zoomed even further. He hadn't meant to do that and was searching his computer keyboard for a way to zoom out again when Tom spoke.

"Yeah, good idea Dan. It's easier to see now," said Tom.

"Erm yeah," agreed Dan, staring at the screen trying to work out what was going on that was so interesting. "Ooh, that !" he said. He had seen the weird slight shifting of the image as something moved. It was something invisible.

"The Invisible Death," whispered Keri.

"Yes, we believe so," said Frank seriously. "They took something from that laboratory."

"What ?" asked Aneisha.

"I'm afraid that's classified," said Frank. "We have a lead on where they might have gone and I need you to investigate," he explained. "Keri and Tom will be on the field team. Dan will be running tactical and Aneisha will be managing comms," he said.

Tom's mouth dropped open. "You mean …. out there …... against those ?" he stammered.

"Yeah Frank, are you sure that this is a good idea ?" asked Dan. "I mean, those things beat up me and Aneisha. Keri can hold her own, but Tom's going to struggle," he said.

"I'm afraid we have no choice," said Frank firmly. "Until you and Aneisha are cleared for field work again, you can't take on a field mission. And that's final !" he said loudly as Dan was obviously about to object.

Tom and Keri went with Frank to collect their equipment before leaving in the lift. Frank sat down next to Dan and Aneisha. There was silence. "What ?" demanded Frank.

"This is really dangerous Frank," said Aneisha quietly.

"It's always dangerous," said Frank, rubbing his hands through his hair.

"This is out of control, dangerous Frank," said Dan.

"Look, I know you're out of your comfort zone," said Frank.

"Frank, we're out of our ability zone," said Dan insistently. "We're like a bunch of amateurs in these roles. What if I get someone killed ?"

Aneisha heard the genuine anxiety in Dan's voice, but Frank wasn't listening. "Look, I know you're not happy. Noted. Now get on and do your jobs !" he ordered, before getting up and heading to another desk.

Dan looked at Aneisha helplessly. "I'm not doing my job though. I'm doing Tom's," he whispered.

"I know. And Tom knows too. We can only do our best," Aneisha said, squeezing his hand.

Dan and Aneisha put on their headsets and managed to pull up the relevant screens on their computers. "Hi Tom, Hi Keri," said Aneisha. "Are you there yet ?" she asked.

"Just arriving now," said Keri's voice. "I'll put the head camera on so you can see what's going on," she added.

"Dan, you need to pull up the black screen and type in 'Channel 487'," Tom instructed Dan.

Dan sighed with relief. "Thanks Tom," he said gratefully. "Be careful Okay ?" he begged.

"We will, don't worry. We'll be Okay won't we Tom ?" asked Keri.

"Er, yeah," said Tom unconvincingly. Aneisha thought he sounded scared.

Dan and Aneisha watched as their two friends made their way into a seemingly abandoned building. The floor was littered with rubbish and occasionally heaps of plaster which had fallen off the walls. "So where are we supposed to be looking ?" asked Keri. They could see the screen of her Spy Pod which she was searching for information.

Dan and Aneisha between them managed to pull up a screen showing a map of the building. "We think you need to carry on down the corridor you are on, and then you should get to some stairs on your right," said Aneisha. "Go down those stairs." They watched the image on the head-cam screen bouncing up and down as Keri walked down the corridor. "Where's Tom ?" asked Aneisha.

"I'm right here, behind Keri," said Tom's voice. Keri's head turned and showed them Tom just behind her.

"He's guarding my rear," cackled Keri.

Aneisha rolled her eyes and glanced at Dan who had a faraway expression on his face. She nudged his arm. "Oi ! Stop thinking about Keri's rear," she whispered jokingly. Dan jumped and looked guilty. Then he saw Aneisha's smile and grinned back.

"You're nearly there," Dan told them.

The view shifted to a room piled with boxes. "Which one ?" asked Keri. The two agents moved through the room, looking at the labels on the boxes.

"Frank !" called Dan. "There's loads of stuff. What are they looking for ?" he asked.

Frank came running over to them. "Hm ? Oh, I didn't expect it to be this easy !" said Frank in surprise. "Well, look for anything marked 'HV221'," he said into a headset.

After a minute Tom's voice came over the system. "Found it ! Look !" he said. Keri's head cam moved to face Tom and saw her looking at a box.

"Yes, that's it. It won't be very heavy. Bring that back to the van," instructed Frank. "Be careful. And well done team !" he said happily.

Dan and Aneisha watched their team-mates return to the MI9 van where they were picked up. Dan breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Aneisha could see sweat on his forehead. He wiped his face with his hands.

"Are you feeling Okay ?" Dan asked Aneisha.

"Not too bad. Just tired," said Aneisha, leaning back in her chair. "How about you ?"

"Don't feel so good," admitted Dan resting his head on his hand.

"Frank, Dan's feeling a bit rough," Aneisha called out.

"Oh, well you can go home as soon as the others get back," promised Frank, noticing that Dan did look quite pale.

Tom and Keri arrived in the base in high spirits, carrying the mystery box. Frank took it from them immediately and took it to the side of the room. "Nice work you two," said Aneisha to the others.

"Thanks. You too !" said Keri. She noticed Dan sitting quietly. "You alright Dan ?" she asked in concern.

"Just a bit tired," admitted Dan. "Feeling a bit better now," he added.

"Right," said Frank, returning with a happy expression on his face. "You two can go home. In fact, you can all go. Well done team !" he said. He paused at the sight of Dan and Aneisha's faces. They looked exhausted. "I'll get the driver to give you a lift," he said kindly. "Off you go !" The four agents got into the lift and disappeared from sight.

Frank's phone rang. "Agent London !" said a voice. "Doctor Winkleman. Just checking that your two agents are getting the complete rest from active duty that I ordered," said the man.

"Erm, complete rest ?" said Frank in confusion. "You mean, rest from field duty don't you ?" he asked.

"No, complete rest from active duty was what we agreed," said the doctor.

Frank swallowed. "Well, they are now," he said hoarsely.

Meanwhile a black MI9 van pulled up outside Dan's house. Keri kissed him on the cheek. "See you tomorrow," she said. The others also said their Goodbyes and Dan tiredly climbed out of the van. As he walked to his house the van drove off. Keri felt the van shift and heard a loud clang from underneath. "What was that ?" she asked.

"No idea," said Tom, shrugging. After a few minutes, they stopped outside Aneisha's house. She also got out and walked to her house. When the van drove off it rolled slightly and there was another loud bang from underneath. "It did it again !" said Tom in confusion. "This van must be on it's last legs," he said. When Keri got out she looked at Tom and he shrugged. "Seems fine this time," he said. "See you tomorrow !" Tom got home last. He got out of the van and took a deep breath. That had all gone pretty well. He felt pleased with himself.

In a KORPS base not far away a voice called out, "The Invisible Death are in position Crime Minister."

"Excellent. All according to plan," snarled a cruel-looking, dark-haired woman in a tight black uniform.


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Invisible kidnaps.**

_In a KORPS base not far away a voice called out, "The Invisible Death are in position Crime Minister."_

"_Excellent. All according to plan," snarled a cruel-looking, dark-haired woman in a tight black uniform._

Dan opened his front door and smelt cooking. "Hey Danny ! Where have you been ?" demanded a girl's voice. His little sister Sam poked her head out of the sitting room door and frowned. "You look terrible !" she commented.

"Thanks," Dan sighed, hanging up his jacket and dumping his bag on the floor at the side of the hallway.

"Mum's doing cottage pie," his sister informed him. She knew it was his favourite.

"I'm not that hungry," said Dan, flopping down onto the sofa. Just then his stomach growled loudly.

"Rumbled !" laughed his sister.

Dan glared at his disobedient stomach and then grinned as well. "What you been doing ?" he asked his sister when she jumped onto the sofa beside him.

"Well," began his sister, launching into a lengthy explanation of a recent falling out amongst her friends. Dan half listened, letting his mind drift to thoughts of Keri and whether or not she really liked him.

xxxxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxxxxx

Aneisha was pleased to see that the lights were on at home. She opened the front door to be greeted by the sound of music coming from the kitchen and the sound of her mother singing along loudly to one of her favourite tunes. Aneisha smiled and walked into the kitchen.

"Oh hello darling ! I didn't hear you coming in !" said her mother, giving her a big hug. "I hope you like this," she said, adding another pinch of spices to a bubbling bowl of some kind of stew.

"Smells great Mum," said Aneisha.

"You look tired," said her Mum. "Why don't you have a bath ? Dinner should be ready by the time you've finished." Aneisha agreed and did as her Mum suggested. Neither of them heard the doorbell ring.

xxxxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxxxx

Frank made himself a fresh coffee and started catching up on emails. He glanced at the box containing the top secret device and frowned. It had all been a bit too simple. It made him feel uneasy. Frank's phone rang and he answered.

"Frank !" said Stella's voice. "We've got a problem," she said, sounding edgy.

"What is it ?" asked Frank, his stomach instantly knotting up.

"The car pool people got on to me. The van which took the agents on their mission was checked out at the yard. The driver had reported hearing bangs coming from underneath and requested it be inspected for damage. Anyway, the mechanics found signs that something was attached to the underside of the van," explained Stella. "There's nothing there now. You need to contact your team and warn them. It could be the Invisible Death !" she said. "I'm arranging SWAT teams to go to each address," she added.

"I'm on it !" said Frank, closing the call. He cursed his own stupidity. Of course the mission had been too easy. The secret device wasn't the target. His own team was the target and they had walked right into KORPS's trap. At least he was sure this was all the work of KORPS.

Frank grabbed his phone and rang Keri. He explained the situation to Keri and warned her not to open the door under any circumstances. He did the same with Tom, and then Aneisha. Finally, he rang Dan. The phone rang and rang.

Xxxxxxxxxxoooooooxxxxxxxxxx

At Dan's house, his mother called out from the kitchen. "Wash your hands ! It's ready"

Dan hauled himself up from the sofa and he and his sister headed for the downstairs toilet to wash their hands. The doorbell rang. Dan sighed and went to open it. With his hand on the latch, he heard his mobile ringing in his bag.

"Do you want me to get it ?" asked his sister.

"Yeah, thanks," said Dan, opening the door. There was nobody there.

Confused, Dan turned to his sister and shrugged.

"Hello, this is Dan's phone. Who is this ?" asked his sister. She paused and then said, "Frank," and held the phone out to Dan.

Dan stepped back from the door, and reached out for his phone. Before he could take it, he felt something grab him around his waist, pulling him backwards out of the door. "Ooof !" he grunted, feeling something metal tightening its grip around him, making it difficult to breathe.

"Danny !" screamed his sister, watching in horror as her brother seemed to float away from her, dangling in mid-air.

Dan struggled to free himself, kicking furiously at something behind him. The Invisible Death ! It had to be. They had followed the team home. "Get ! Off ! Me !" he grunted, gasping for breath. The machine carried him as if he were some lightweight rag doll. Then he felt himself being thrown around and tossed over a shoulder, leaving his head dangling upside down, his face bouncing off something hard. His waist and legs were now held tightly in a vice-like grip. "Sam ! Tell Frank ! Aargh !" Dan yelled as he jolted and bounced along, deep into the darkness of the night.

Sam stood frozen to the spot and then heard a tiny distant voice speaking. She held Dan's phone to her ear. "Frank. Dan just floated out of the door," she said faintly. "He's gone !" she cried.

The voice on the other end of the phone paused then spoke calmly. "Close the door and lock it ! We'll get someone there as soon as we can. Do not open the door again until you hear from me. Understood ?" asked Frank. Sam nodded, closing the door reluctantly and bolting it shut. The phone clicked as the call ended, but she clung to it as if her life depended on it.

"Sam ? What was all that noise ? Where's Dan ?" asked Sam's mother. Sam stared at her mother. What on earth was she going to tell her ? "Isn't that Dan's phone ? Who were you talking to ?" asked her mother.

"Frank," said Sam faintly. Her mother's face went rigid.

"Oh God. What's happened ?" asked her mother.

"Something took Danny," said Sam, her lip quivering. She rushed into her mother's arms and sobbed.

Xxxxxxxxxooooooooooxxxxxxxx

Frank drove as quickly as he could to Dan's home. When he pulled up outside the house the street was empty. He was too late. His phone rang. It was Stella. "Frank, the SWAT team sent to Tom and Keri's houses report no incidents and the agents are both safe. The team at Aneisha's house got into a full scale battle with an Invisible Death robot. They managed to defeat it. They're taking the remains back to the labs for disassembly. Aneisha and her family are all fine. The SWAT team which went to Dan's house reported seeing a vehicle passing at speed when they arrived, but were unable to catch it. I'm sorry Frank, but I think we're too late for Dan," said Stella apologetically.

"I know," said Frank quietly. "I'd better go and talk to his family," he said sadly, before getting out of the car.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Hide and seek.**

"_The SWAT team which went to Dan's house reported seeing a vehicle passing at speed when they arrived, but were unable to catch it. I'm sorry Frank, but I think we're too late for Dan," said Stella apologetically._

"_I know," said Frank quietly. "I'd better go and talk to his family," he said sadly, before getting out of the car._

Frank found himself in the sitting room of Dan's house having two disjointed conversations with Dan's mother and sister. He wasn't sure which conversation was the more rational, but he was leaning towards Dan's little sister.

"Where's Danny ?" demanded Sam.

"I'm sorry, we don't know. We believe he's been taken by an illegal organisation," said Frank carefully.

"Is this because of how he keeps disappearing ?" asked Sam suspiciously.

"Erm, well, yes, sort of," said Frank. "I'm afraid I can't say too much," he added apologetically.

"He didn't even have his tea," complained Dan's mother. "They will give him a tea won't they ?" she asked.

Frank looked at her in confusion. Surely she was missing the point a little. He looked at Dan's sister who rolled her eyes. "I don't think he's worrying about food right now, Mum," said Sam.

"Well, he gets hungry quickly," said her mother. "You know how hungry he gets," she said, before flopping down onto the sofa and staring at the blank television screen.

"You are going to find him aren't you ?" asked Sam accusingly.

"We are going to do everything possible to get him back as quickly as possible," Frank told her firmly. "I am going to do everything I can," he said more quietly.

"And you'll make sure he's had something to eat won't you ?" asked Dan's mother still staring in front of her. Sam stared at her mother in frustration before sitting down beside her and holding her hand.

"Mum, Frank said he'll get him back didn't he ?" said Sam gently. "Why don't you get tea out. I'll show Frank to the door," she offered. Her mother nodded and wiped away a tear, before getting up and going into the kitchen.

"She's in shock," Frank whispered to Sam as they headed for the hall. She nodded. "We'll get him back Sam," Frank promised again.

"I know you will," said Sam, looking up at him unflinchingly.

"It's not just me," said Frank. "Dan has friends too," he said.

"Tom, Keri and Aneisha," said Sam. Frank looked surprised. "Oh, they're the ones he talks about all the time. He always gets half way through a story and then stops and it ends really lamely," complained Sam. "I always thought they were up to something," she said. "Now I know it." She stared at the floor glumly. "He trusts you. So I do too," she added, giving Frank a small smile.

"Thankyou Sam," said Frank feeling choked up. "I'll do everything I can think of," he promised.

"I guess that'll have to do," said Sam smiling as she waved him goodbye from the door. Her smile quickly disappeared as she stared out into the darkness and then sadly closed the door.

xxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxx

While the rest of the team were being updated by Frank Dan was lying in the back of a KORPS van, being pinned to the floor by the foot of a now, very visible, robot. It seemed bigger than he remembered them. Maybe they'd had an upgrade, or maybe they just looked bigger when you were lying on the ground.

Dan sighed and tried to rest his head on the floor. It was difficult because each time the van bumped over some pot hole or bump in the road, his head bounced off the floor. He was bruised, aching and exhausted. At last the van drew to a halt and the doors were opened. "Bring the prisoner !" instructed a voice from outside. The robot lifted its foot off Dan's back and grabbed him by the upper parts of both arms, dragging him out of the van. Dan's feet hit the ground and he tried to stand up. The robot just kept on dragging him and he gave up.

Dan lost track of the corridors he was taken down before being pulled into a room and dropped into a chair. He looked up, dazzled by bright lights. Someone came into the room and Dan blinked to try and see them properly. "Where's the other one ?" demanded a voice. It was cold and evil. It was the Crime Minister.

"The other robot was intercepted and destroyed Crime Minister," said a nervous voice.

"This is not the one we wanted !" complained the Crime Minister. "What have you been doing ?" she yelled at the robot.

"Obtain agent from house," said the robot in a deep, emotionless, electronic voice.

"Yes, but this is the wrong agent !" complained the robot.

"Agent from the house," said the robot.

Dan could hear people shuffling across the room. "Did you take the Invisible Death Robots to the wrong address ?" demanded the Crime Minister.

"They were instructed to hide under the MI9 van and take the agents when they were left at their homes," said a nervous voice. "They must have had more agents than we knew about," he stammered.

Dan now understood what had happened. KORPS had assumed that Keri and Tom were the only active agents. They hadn't realised that he would be the first one to be dropped off at home. He hoped they hadn't got anyone else. Aneisha would have been the next drop-off.

The Crime Minister reached out and grabbed Dan by the front of his shirt, pulling him up off the chair slightly. He was surprised by her strength. "You boy ! Where is K3R1 ?" she demanded. Dan said nothing. He was so tired and hungry he was beginning to feel light headed. Hopefully if she hit him, he would just pass out. To his surprise he was dropped back into his chair. "Hm. Well, we will have to make the most of what we have," said the Crime Minister. "I have an idea. Put him in a cell and give him some food. Use one of the warmer ones. He looks weak ! I want him alive for our purposes. Get on with it !" she snapped.

Dan was pulled from the chair and half walked, half dragged to a cell containing a small bed. He managed to pull himself on to the bed, shaking with exhaustion. After a while someone brought a tray of food which was put on the floor. "Eat it !" he was ordered as the door slammed shut.

Dan stared at the tray, shaking with tiredness. After a moment he pulled the tray towards him and nibbled on a bread roll. It didn't look too bad. He ate everything on the tray and put it back by the door. There was no point trying to hatch an escape plan. In his current physical condition he wasn't going anywhere. Dan lay on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep. Just another normal day at MI High.

Xxxxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxxxxxx

Across town Keri lay in her bed, staring at the flickering lights playing on her bedroom ceiling. Where was Dan right now ? Were they hurting him ? She angrily wiped away a tear. Was it her fault he was missing ? They'd arranged to go to the cinema on Saturday. She hoped they could still make it.

Keri rolled on to her side. The cinema didn't matter. She just wanted him back. She wanted to see him slouching against the lockers, groaning at Tom's lame jokes, getting all frustrated and het up when Keri was teasing him with some silly, ditzy scheme to use MI9 equipment for personal use. He took everything so seriously, it was easy to wind him up. She missed him so much.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Getting to work on getting him back.**

_She just wanted him back. She wanted to see him slouching against the lockers, groaning at Tom's lame jokes, getting all frustrated and het up when Keri was teasing him with some silly, ditzy scheme to use MI9 equipment for personal use. He took everything so seriously, it was easy to wind him up. She missed him so much._

Frank heard the lift coming down the next day and took a deep breath. He knew what the team would all want to know. The trouble was that he didn't have anything to show for his efforts. Stella had put a team on to locating Dan as soon as the SWAT team reported back. They hadn't been able to locate the van which disappeared into the night. It seemed to have literally vanished into thin air. Frank had tried to use the DNA scanner, using one of Dan's hairs from the uniform store. This had shown up nothing. He had nothing. Frank gently banged his head on the desk in front of him.

"Not going well huh ?" said Tom's quiet voice beside him.

Frank looked up into the worried faces of Tom, Aneisha and Keri. He silently shook his head.

"Any trace of the van ?" asked Aneisha. Frank shook his head.

"DNA trace ?" asked Tom. Frank shook his head.

"Robot bits ?" asked Keri.

Frank frowned. "What do you mean ?" he asked.

"Well, did the robot you captured know where it came from ?" asked Keri.

Frank looked at Keri in astonishment. "Keri, you're brilliant !" said Frank, leaping up from his chair and rummaging through his pockets looking for his phone. Aneisha picked it up off the table and handed it to him. "Thanks," said Frank absently. He called Stella. "Stella, the Invisible Death robot, have they put it back together ?" asked Frank. "Hm ?" He covered the mouthpiece and muttered. "Put it back together and it tried to kill everyone in the room." He uncovered the mouthpiece. "Bad luck. Did anyone manage to decrypt its programming and find out where its base would be ?" he asked. "Mmm. Okay I'll do that," he said, closing the call.

"Well ?" asked Keri, bouncing up and down.

"Nobody has managed to get into the code yet. They need some technical expertise," said Frank.

"I'll go !" snapped Tom.

"Tom, would you ? Oh, er you are. Oh just go !" said Frank. "Stella's sending a car to pick you up. I'll sort it with the school," he promised. Tom dashed into the lift.

"What happened to the van then ?" asked Aneisha once Tom had disappeared from sight.

"It completely vanished," said Frank. "No sign of it on any CCTV in town. It's like the ground just swallowed it up," he said, running his hands through his hair.

"Maybe it did then," said Keri.

Frank and Aneisha stared at her. "What ?" asked Aneisha.

"Well, maybe the ground did swallow it up," repeated Keri. "You know, tunnels and stuff ?" she said, waving her hands in the air. "Obvious ! Duh !"

"Does the DNA tracker work underground ?" asked Aneisha after a moment.

"Nooooo," said Frank slowly. "It does not." He looked at the two girls and grinned. "Well, what are you waiting for ? Let's go digging !"

An hour or so later, Frank, Aneisha and Keri climbed out of a large van marked 'Archaeology Scotland' and lifted out two metal frames with small computers attached. "Right, this is where the van was last sighted by the SWAT team," said Frank. "We may as well start from here. There are CCTV cameras at the main junction at the end of the road, and there is no footage of the van on there, so it either travelled down one of the two side streets, or it disappeared."

"So, we're looking for where it disappeared," said Aneisha.

"Exactly," agreed Frank. "Let's get started ! Take one side of the road each. I'll monitor the results you send back," he said, pulling out a laptop from the van and perching on the floor at the back.

Keri and Aneisha started prodding the ground with their metal frames. They pressed the frame to the ground, pressed a button and after a second it beeped quietly. Then they moved it on a pace and did the same again. After a minute or two, Keri was already bored. "Frank, what exactly is this thing doing ?" she asked.

"It's ground penetrating radar," explained Frank. Keri gave him a hard look. Frank sighed. "It sends a signal into the ground and measures the signal that bounces back. It can tell whether there is a cavity in the ground," he explained.

"Ooh ! Like a secret tunnel !" said Keri, suddenly more interested.

"Yes, like a secret tunnel," agreed Frank.

Keri's beep suddenly got much higher in pitch. "Was that something ?" she asked.

"Move it along and see how big it is," Frank told her. Keri did as he said and after a couple of paces, the pitch of the beep dropped back down again. "How far was that ?" asked Frank.

"About a metre and a half," said Keri. She looked annoyed. "Teeny tiny tunnel ?" she asked hopefully.

"Sewer," said Frank dismissively.

"It needs to be big enough to drive a van down, remember ?" said Aneisha, who was steadily working her way up the road. "What do we do about these side roads ?" she asked Frank.

"We'll have to check them all," said Frank.

"This is going to take all day !" complained Keri.

"Yep," agreed Frank.

Xxxxxxxoooooooxxxxxxx

In MI9 HQ, Tom looked warily around at a pile of bits of robot. The door to the room had a big hole smashed through it. The shelving had been pulled off the wall and there was a big splatter of blood on one of the bench tops. He looked at the blood and gulped nervously. "It's definitely off now isn't it ?" he asked the lab technician.

"Oh yeah ! We took it to bits good and proper !" the technician promised Tom. "That was after we ran 300 Volts through it. Gave it a bit of a headache," he said, sounding satisfied.

"Was everyone Okay ?" asked Tom tentatively.

"No," said the technician. He didn't sound like he wanted to discuss it any further so Tom didn't ask any more questions.

"Okay, how do I get into it ?" asked Tom.

The technician picked up something which looked like a head, and pointed to a narrow slot at the back. "Looks like a USB port to me mate," he said.

"Great !" said Tom, holding up a connector. "I'm KORPS compatible !"


	7. Chapter 7

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. **

**As usual I have forgotten to say that I own none of these characters or MI High. This is borrowed fiction. Someone wondered why they were bothering to write stories about a programme which isn't even on the TV at the moment. The answer can only be if you still enjoy doing it. When it stops being fun, I'll stop writing.**

"_Okay, how do I get into it ?" asked Tom._

_The technician picked up something which looked like a head, and pointed to a narrow slot at the back. "Looks like a USB port to me mate," he said. _

"_Great !" said Tom, holding up a connector. "I'm KORPS compatible !"_

Dan woke in complete confusion. He was in a dark, silent room. It didn't smell like his bedroom. In a panic he tried to remember where he was. Then the events of the evening came flooding back to him. This was a KORPS cell, although it was a lot more comfortable than most KORPS cells he had been locked up in before. There was a loud clang and a dazzling light switched on. Dan covered his eyes, only hearing something touching the floor and something else being lifted. "Eat !" ordered a voice before the door slammed shut again.

Dan's eyes gradually adjusted to the light and he saw another tray of food on the floor. It looked like a breakfast. His stomach rumbled and he stood up. He felt better after his sleep. Sighing, he picked up the tray and ate its contents. Replacing the tray by the door he looked around at his surroundings. The room was empty bar the bed and a doorway through to a toilet and wash basin. They didn't put much effort into the decoration, Dan thought. He yawned and ran his hand over his head. There was nothing else to do, so he lay back down on the bed, and soon fell asleep again.

Dan woke again some time later. He had no idea what time it was because his watch had been taken. It was confusing not knowing whether it was day or night. At least all this sleep was making him feel so much better. He hadn't realised how ill he had been feeling until now that he was starting to feel normal again. It was all thanks to his new KORPS holiday destination ! He should come here more often. His thoughts were interrupted when the door slammed open again and a group of three men came in. There were two guards in standard KORPS issue uniform and a man in a white coat carrying a metal tray. Not good. Men in white coats and metal trays were never a good sign.

The two guards grabbed Dan's arms and forced him face down on the bed. "Like this ?" asked one of the guards.

"That'll do," said the man in the white coat. Dan's grunts were muffled by the bed clothes which his face was pressed into. Dan managed to twist his head slightly to the side and wished he hadn't when he saw the size of the needle coming towards his neck. He felt a stabbing pain in his neck followed by a red hot stream starting to run through his body. He twisted and strained against the hands holding him as the pain became overwhelming. Then there was another, lesser, stab in his neck and he watched the world melt into darkness.

Xxxxxxxxxooooooooxxxxxxxxxx

Keri, Frank and Aneisha sat in the front of their van eating the sandwiches that Frank had brought with him. Between mouthfuls Keri said, "We could spend all day here and be no closer to finding Dan."

"We don't know that," said Aneisha optimistically. "We could get lucky."

"We don't have any other leads at the moment, unless you know better," said Frank to Keri.

Keri sighed. "I don't. I wish I did," she said, staring sadly out of the windscreen. She was losing her appetite. Her eyes suddenly widened at what she saw. "Guys, look out of the window. Do you see what I see ?" she asked.

Frank and Aneisha looked up curiously. An unmarked black van was pulling out of a side street ahead of them. It roared off into the distance. Frank smiled. "Bingo !" he said softly. "I think we've just narrowed our search area agents," he said with a satisfied smile.

They all gobbled down the rest of their lunch, swigged some soft drinks and dashed round the van to pick up their equipment. Keri belched loudly as a result of downing the fizzy drink so quickly. "Oops, sorry !" she apologised. She needn't have bothered as the other two were burping and hiccupping just as loudly.

"I think that was a mistake," said Aneisha, covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"Well, just so long as we don't draw attention to ourselves," said Frank, before belching so loudly it echoed off the surrounding walls. Keri and Aneisha stared in astonishment before folding over in helpless giggles, interspersed with hiccups and burps.

"Okay, I think I've finished," said Keri, feeling her chest. "A little professionalism needed here guys," she said, before belching one last time. "Actually, right now, I'm kind of glad Dan isn't here," she admitted. Her reminder of Dan's absence seemed to calm everyone down again and they walked up to the side street where they had seen the suspected KORPS van coming out.

"It could just have been someone's plain black van," said Aneisha. They all stood and looked down the street in front of them. There were six or seven houses near to them, but after those it was just a row of derelict buildings boarded up and a couple of old industrial brick chimneys. "Okay, maybe not," said Aneisha with a shrug. "Let's get to it then," she added. They walked past the few inhabited houses and started surveying the street beyond them. Their mood was much more sombre and businesslike now.

xxxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxxx

Tom had been sitting patiently trying to access the code in the KORPS robot's head for over an hour and a half. Once Tom had got his equipment working, the lab technician had left him to get on with it. "Yes, we're in !" Tom crowed as he finally saw code scrolling across his screen. "Hm, I need access codes," he muttered to himself, searching for pieces of code which looked like they managed security and access. After he found some possible files he worked on the encryption to get in. "Got it ! Right, let's see what you can do," said Tom, turning to the robotic head lying on the bench beside him. The robot's eyes came alight and he could hear small motors whirring somewhere inside the head.

"MI9 agents ! Destroy !" barked the robot suddenly. "Destroy !" it repeated.

"Where is your base located ?" Tom asked the robot.

"MI9 agents ! Destroy !" repeated the robot.

Tom sighed. "Well, nobody said it was going to be easy," he muttered.

"Destroy !" said the robot.

"Oh, shut up !" hissed Tom, closing down the robot. It's eyes went dark and it lay silently on the bench once again.

"How are you getting on ?" asked a voice. Tom turned to see Stella coming into the lab.

"Well, I've got access to the robot now. I can turn it on," he reported. "It won't tell me where its base is though. I think we might need to get it to take us there. Should we rebuild it ?" he asked.

Stella's eyebrows nearly shot off the top of her head. She shook her head silently and pointed to the blood stain on the workbench.

"Okay, fair point," admitted Tom. "How about a bit of it, an arm maybe ?" he suggested. "It could point," he added.

"Well, I suppose that should be alright," agreed Stella. She made a phone call and a minute later a small group of people came in. The lab technician Tom had met earlier was carrying a robotic arm. He was accompanied by four armed guards.

"The other one was destroyed," said the technician. "This is the only one that's in one piece," he explained, putting the heavy metal arm down on the bench. He took a cable and connected it between the arm and the robot's head. "There you go," he said, standing well back.

Seeing that everyone was backing off, Tom shuffled his chair further away from the robotic arm, then he activated the head again. "Destroy MI9 !" the robot started calling out again. This time the arm started thrashing around, hammering the table top. "Destroy !" it said, the arm now flopping its way across the benchtop towards Tom, making a banging, rattling noise as it went, dragging its head along behind it. The armed guards all pulled out guns and pointed them at the robot bits.

"No, it's Okay !" shouted Tom. "I'll deal with it," he promised, worried that they would destroy their only lead to finding Dan. He shut down the robot and the arm flopped down lifelessly on the bench.

"Could have done with you before," said the technician wearily. "What now ?" he asked, looking at Stella. Stella pointed to Tom. "Ask him," she said. Everyone looked at Tom.

After staring at the robot in thought for a minute, Tom started searching through the code once again. He found a file labelled 'Basic Commands' and opened it. "Okay, what are the three laws of the KORPS robot ?" Tom asked himself. He found a file and shivered as he read it out loud.

Obey KORPS at all times.

Destroy the enemies of KORPS.

Preserve self.

Tom had a think and started typing over them with his own words. He wrote:

Obey Tom at all times.

Protect MI9 agents.

Preserve self.

Stella and the technician read over Tom's shoulder. The technician smiled. "Neat !" he said.


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. We're going on a spy hunt.**

_Tom had a think and started typing over them with his own words. He wrote:_

_Obey Tom at all times._

_Protect MI9 agents._

_Preserve self._

_Stella and the technician read over Tom's shoulder. The technician smiled. "Neat !" he said._

Dan woke to flickering light and a breeze blowing across his face. He screwed his eyes shut and opened them again. This time he managed to focus on sunlight dancing through leaves in the trees above him. Trees ? What were they doing there ? He sat up and looked around. He was sitting on the ground in a woodland. It was a sunny day. He was still wearing his school uniform, which now had lumps of dirt and leaves stuck to it. Dan struggled to his feet, grabbing hold of a tree trunk when a wave of dizziness came over him. He waited until the dizziness had passed.

How had he got here ? He hazily remembered being locked up in a KORPS cell and they had injected him with something. He shook his head in an attempt to make sense of it all. Why had they left him here ? A beeping noise started up. He traced it to his jacket pocket from which he pulled out a small, rectangular device. When he held it up, it started to speak. "Agent Morgan, this is a KORPS training exercise. You are our prey. Prepare to be hunted !" barked a voice. Then smoke started to pour out of the device and Dan threw it on the ground where it burst into flames. He looked all around him fearfully. In the distance he heard a shout and his fear grew. Turning in the opposite direction to the voice, he started to run.

Dan ran as if his life depended on it. It probably did. He thanked the stars that he was almost back to full strength after his short holiday at KORPS. He guessed grimly that they had only fed him up so that they could get a bit of fun out of him. As he vaulted over a fallen tree he stumbled and cursed. He wasn't quite back to full strength yet. He would have to be extra careful and pace himself. Then he heard shouts, and they were closer than before. He heard the roar of a motorcycle which sounded like it was running in parallel with him on the left. He swerved off to the right in an effort to get away from it. Dan noticed the trees were starting to thin out. He slowed his pace as he realised the light was getting brighter. He must be coming to the edge of the woodlands. There would be less cover and he could be seen more easily.

Dan slowed to a walking pace, to get his breath back and so he could duck down behind what trees and bushes there were. He ducked into some low scrub and surveyed the area ahead. It appeared to be an airfield with some old wartime buildings and hangars dotted about. He looked around carefully and could not see any of his pursuers. Maybe he was going to be lucky. Perhaps he could find a phone in one of the buildings.

Taking a deep breath, Dan sprinted out of his hiding place and dashed for the nearest building. It was empty and clearly hadn't been used in a long time. He ran for the next, larger complex. He dashed through an open door and pelted through a long corridor. Doors led off the corridor, but opened on to empty rooms. He heard the roar of a motorcycle pulling up outside the building and shouts. No ! How had they found him so quickly. Frantically Dan ran through more corridors and in and out of rooms. The place appeared to be deserted. Finally he found a room with an old-style telephone on the desk. Dan picked up the receiver and hissed jubilantly when he heard the dial tone on the phone. It worked ! He tried to remember Frank's phone number. Normally he had it programmed into his mobile phone and didn't have to remember it, but the agents had been trained to remember it in case of emergencies. Dan dialled and prayed he had the right one.

"Frank !" Dan cried out when the phone was answered.

"Well done Agent Morgan," said a cold, steely voice. "Mission accomplished."

Dan froze. He spun around on hearing the scrape of a foot behind him. He felt a sharp pain in his neck and pulled a small dart from his skin. Looking to the door he saw the grinning face of a KORPS agent, before it faded from view and he slumped to the floor unconscious.

The KORPS agent picked up the now dangling telephone receiver. "It worked perfectly Crime Minister. Yes, we're on our way back," he said, hanging up the receiver.

xxxxxxxxoooooooooxxxxxxxxx

In his borrowed MI9 laboratory, Tom clutched his laptop and looked nervously at the lab technician, before glancing at the armed guards who were shifting nervously from foot to foot. He looked at Stella. She nodded tensely. "Go on Tom. Let's see what you can do," she said.

Tom turned to face his KORPS killer robot. Well, strictly speaking it was about two thirds of a KORPS robot and hopefully, after Tom's modifications, it was no longer a killing machine. The machine now had most of its two legs, one of which looked longer than the other, but only one arm. The head was held on with gaffer tape because its fitting was too badly damaged to use. It looked ridiculous. He nodded at the technician who immediately took two steps back. So much for confidence ! Tom huffed to himself. He activated the robot. The eyes lit up and the head turned. "Who are you ?" asked the robot.

"I am Tom," said Tom, pointing to his chest.

"Tom recognised. Obey Tom at all times," said the robot's expressionless voice.

"Yes. That is correct," said Tom. He pointed to the other people in the room. "These are MI9 agents. You are to protect them," he said.

"MI9 agents recognised. Protect MI9 agents," said the robot.

"Yes, that is correct," Tom told the robot. Better safe than sorry, he thought to himself. "I want you to lead us to your base," Tom told the robot. "Can you do that ?" he asked.

"I can lead you to my base," affirmed the robot. "You must provide me with transport," it said.

Tom looked to Stella who smiled and nodded. "We can do that. Come with us," said Tom.

The robot took a rolling step and its head immediately fell off on to the floor, rolling away from its body. The body froze as soon as the head disconnected from its cable connector. "I require maintenance," said the robot head.

"You need a bit more than that mate," said the technician, laughing. He picked up the head and reconnected it to the body with the cable. He tried to balance the head back on top of the robot, but due to its odd legged lean, he couldn't get it to stay on. "Aw look, just tuck yourself under your arm," he said finally, handing the head into the robot's hand. The robot tucked its head under its arm, eyes facing front.

"This will function," agreed the robot.

Tom looked at the robot. "Am I the only one who finds this hysterically funny ?" he asked Stella.

"Yes," she assured him, straight-faced. "Let's go," she added.

They all left the room, with the robot lurching from side to side on its different sized legs, head tucked under its one arm. Tom walked in front holding his laptop tightly. "Are you going to take a SWAT team ?" Tom asked Stella.

Stella gave him a sideways look. "The robot only obeys you Tom. You have to come," she pointed out to him.

"What ? Me ?" squeaked Tom.

"Can you suggest an alternative ?" asked Stella.

Tom thought. Hard. "No," he said quietly. "I'll come too."

"Good. Glad we've agreed that," said Stella briskly.


	9. Chapter 9

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. A little help from our (new) friends.**

_Stella gave him a sideways look. "The robot only obeys you Tom. You have to come," she pointed out to him._

"_What ? Me ?" squeaked Tom. _

"_Can you suggest an alternative ?" asked Stella._

_Tom thought. Hard. "No," he said quietly. "I'll come too."_

"_Good. Glad we've agreed that," said Stella briskly._

Frank, Keri and Aneisha worked their way doggedly up the street where they had seen the KORPS van leave. They had passed several derelict buildings but were no closer to finding any underground tunnels. Aneisha felt like her arms were going to fall off if she had to lift the metal frame just one more time. She was exhausted, but couldn't bring herself to give up, not when they were so close. "Frank, do you think we should hide and wait to see where the van goes when it comes back ?" Aneisha asked.

"We don't know if it's going to come back," Frank pointed out reasonably. "We have to keep searching." He looked up from his computer screen and noticed how tired Aneisha looked. "Tell you what, why don't I have a go with the detector for a bit and you keep an eye on the computer," he suggested kindly. Aneisha looked at him gratefully and swapped positions with Frank. "How about you Keri ?" asked Frank. "Do you need to take a break ?" he asked.

Keri answered through gritted teeth, "I'm fine. We've got to find it soon." Keri's arms ached, her back ached and her legs ached. All she wanted to do was lie down and have a rest, but there was no way she was going to leave Dan locked up with KORPS one minute longer than she had to. No way was she taking a break when heaven only knew what they were doing to Dan right now. She paused for a moment and looked around her. They had been working their way down the street and making quick detours into the side entrances to the different building compounds that lined the street. "How about down there Frank ?" she asked, pointing to an entranceway to what looked like an abandoned set of buildings.

"Check it out. We don't want to miss one," Frank agreed.

Keri, sighed and hoisted her frame on to her shoulder, before walking some way into the entrance. Then she started running it across the yard.

"Keri !" called out Aneisha suddenly. "Can you go back a couple of steps and check either side please ?" she asked. Keri looked up curiously and did as Aneisha had asked her. "Yes, that's it," said Aneisha sounding excited. "Frank, look at this !" she called.

Frank ran over to the computer which Aneisha was holding. "That's a possibility," he agreed. "Wait there Keri. I'll help you," he said, taking his frame over to join Keri. Right Aneisha, see if you can measure the size of the gap," he told her. He nodded to Keri and they both started to swing their frames across the ground in parallel.

"It's big," said Aneisha. "I'm getting a cavity below both of you that measures about eight metres in width. That's got to be it hasn't it ?" she asked excitedly. Frank and Keri high-fived each other. Then they all heard the sound of approaching vehicles. "They're back ! Hide !" shouted Aneisha. The three agents dashed for cover, crouching down behind a low brick wall. They heard several vans coming to a halt in the yard they had just surveyed, followed by doors sliding and slamming. Then a familiar voice called out.

"Everyone, gather round please ! We need to form an attack squad," said Stella's voice.

"Stella ! What are you doing here ?" asked Frank, jumping up alongside Keri and Aneisha. He found a line of SWAT team guns pointing at them and automatically raised his hands, as did the other two.

"Stand down everyone. They're MI9," Stella ordered the SWAT team. Frank and the others breathed a sigh of relief and put their hands down.

"We got directions," said Stella, pointing to the van behind her, where Tom and the KORPS robot were carefully climbing out.

"Oh Hi Frank !" said Tom cheerily. "Meet Moby !" he said, pointing to the robot.

"Moby ?" asked Stella disbelievingly.

"Well, I had to call him something !" retorted Tom. "What would you suggest ? Angel of Death maybe ?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes, but Moby !" said Stella, before shaking her head. "Anyway, the robot directed us to this location," she explained to Frank.

Aneisha looked at the robot warily. "Erm, isn't that the robot that you attacked outside my house ?" she asked.

"Yes. It's Okay, I've changed its programming," Tom told her happily. It will protect MI9 agents now instead of trying to kill them," he assured her. "Oh, these are MI9 agents," Tom told the robot, pointing to Frank, Keri and Aneisha.

"Protect MI9 agents. MI9 agents recognised," said the robot.

"So, why has it got its head tucked under its arm ?" asked Keri.

The robot lurched towards her, landing on its shorter leg and staggering to regain its balance on the uneven ground.

"Well, it's a bit damaged," said Tom, reaching over to pull the robot more upright. "He's very helpful though, when you get to know him," he told the girls. Keri and Aneisha looked at one another and shook their heads.

"So, what did you find ?" Stella asked them. "You've ended up in the same place, so you must have found something," she added.

"We think we found the underground tunnel," Aneisha reported. "It's over there," she said, pointing to the area they had surveyed. "We don't know where the entrance is though," she added.

"Moby, can you tell us where the entrance to the underground tunnel is please ?" asked Tom.

"Explain the meaning of 'please' ?" asked Moby.

"Please ? Well, it's polite isn't it ?" said Tom in confusion. "It makes people want to do things for you a bit more," he added, looking at Aneisha and shrugging.

"Understood," said the robot. "We must use the vehicles. Please," said the robot.

"Okaaaay," said Stella slowly, looking like she would burst out laughing. "Tom, I think you need to teach manners to the rest of KORPS," she said to him.

"Oh, I'm planning to teach them a thing or two already," said Keri, sounding determined.

The others looked at her in surprise, before Frank patted her on the arm. "Now's your chance Keri," Frank promised.

Tom took Moby back to the van and climbed in. His foot slipped and he toppled backwards, unable to grab on to the van because he was holding the laptop in both hands. Moby held out his hand and pushed Tom back into the van. Moby still managed to keep his head tucked under his mechanical elbow.

"Thanks," said Tom gratefully. "And well done keeping your head," he added.

"Explain 'thanks' ?" asked the robot.

Tom sighed. This could be a long mission. "It's polite again. If someone gives you something, or helps you in some way, you say 'thanks' or 'thankyou' in return. It sort of recognises that they did something for you," he explained. It was harder than he thought. He never had to think about it normally.

"Understood. Thankyou," said Moby.

"This is soooo weird," said Keri, climbing into the same van with Tom and Moby. She glanced sideways at the robot and sat as far away as she could.

Stella, Frank, Aneisha and a couple of agents climbed in with them. "So, where do we go ?" asked Stella.

Moby put his head on his knee and pointed at a large brick wall. "Drive towards that wall quickly," said Moby.


	10. Chapter 10

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Rescue mission.**

_Stella, Frank, Aneisha and a couple of agents climbed in with them. "So, where do we go ?" asked Stella._

_Moby put his head on his knee and pointed at a large brick wall. "Drive towards that wall quickly," said Moby. _

Moby's instruction was greeted with silence.

Tom's mouth opened and closed twice before any sound came out. "Did you say, to drive straight at the wall ?"

"Yes, that is correct," replied Moby.

"What happens then ?" asked Tom.

"I do not know," replied Moby.

"And that is the way in to the KORPS base ?" asked Frank cautiously. "You've done this before ?"

"Yes, this is how KORPS agents enter the base," said Moby.

Tom looked at Frank in confusion. The difficulty he had was that Moby's expressionless voice sounded like he was taking the Mickey. Only, robots couldn't do that, could they ? "The KORPS vans might have some kind of remote key to open the door," said Tom.

"That is true," agreed Frank. "Or, they could just drive at the wall."

"The wall might be a hologram," suggested Tom.

"It could be," agreed Frank, stroking his chin.

Stella and Keri glanced at one another and rolled their eyes.

"Enough already !" snapped Stella. "Drive !" she shouted to the agent at the wheel. He slammed his foot on the accelerator and grinning, drove directly at the large brick wall ahead. There were squeals and protests from inside the van as everyone hurriedly tried to snap on their seatbelts. Aneisha held her arms over her face expecting the sudden impact of hitting a brick wall. Moby had no expression, but then he was the only one with his head in his lap.

"Oooooooh ! Oh," said Tom in astonishment. Instead of slamming into a pile of bricks, they shot straight through and on to a ramp leading down under ground. Weak with relief Tom slumped back into his seat. "Aw, I nearly wet myself," he muttered quietly. Then he realised he had spoken out loud and shrank down in his seat.

"Just as well we're wearing our regulation MI9 underpants," said Frank, turning and giving him a sympathetic smile.

"I never take mine off !" cackled Keri.

"Can't get in the lift without them," laughed Aneisha. The release of tension resulted in everyone in the van laughing, including a still red-faced Tom.

"Underpants do not compute," complained Moby.

Tom held up his hand. "I am NOT explaining that !" he warned Moby. "Just, don't go there Okay ?" he begged.

"Understood. Not understood. Filed," reported the robot. Tom sneaked a look at the robot's face. There was no change, of course. He puffed out a sigh of relief.

Keri grinned wickedly at him. "I sooo think you should explain Tom," she said slyly.

"I'm saying nothing !" said Tom, folding his arms. This brought another round of giggles before the driver warned that they were approaching a gate. Everyone went quiet instantly. Stella spoke into her communicator and confirmed that the other vans were following behind.

"Get ready team !" said Frank. "Let the SWAT team get out first. They should be able to clear a way in for us. Our job is to retrieve Dan, assuming he is here of course," he added quietly.

The van halted in front of a heavy iron gate. Two KORPS guards appeared on the other side and started firing at the van. The bullets ricocheted off the protective armour plating. The other MI9 vans pulled up and the MI9 SWAT team started firing at the KORPS guards. Someone placed a charge against the gate and blew it off its hinges. "Right, follow the SWAT team everyone !" ordered Frank. They all clambered out and followed the running MI9 agents in front.

Moby couldn't run very quickly due to his lop-sided legs. "We're going to have to do something about your legs," shouted Tom to the robot. "We'll sort you out later Okay ?"

"Maintenance is required," agreed the robot. "Thankyou."

"Where should we go to find Dan ?" said Frank. "Moby ? Do you know where an MI9 prisoner might be kept ?" he asked.

"Prisoners are kept in the cells," said Moby. "Do you wish me to lead you to the cells ?" he asked.

"Yes please," said Tom. "Take us there."

The robot started off to one side. Frank waved for a couple of the MI9 agents to go with them to provide some firepower. The rest of the SWAT team didn't seem to be meeting a lot of resistance. It seemed strangely easy, Frank thought. He shook off the feeling and tried to concentrate on what they were doing.

After jogging down several corridors they arrived at a line of doors. "These are the cells," said Moby, pointing towards the doors with his elbow.

"Shall I blow them open ?" Frank asked.

"I think I know an easier way," said Aneisha sarcastically. She walked up to the first door and knocked. "Dan, are you in there ?" she called. There was no answer, so she went to the next door. Then they heard a voice coming from a door further up the corridor.

"Aneisha ? Is that you ?" called out a voice. Everyone grinned and ran up to the door.

Keri hammered on the door. "Dan ? Is it you ?" she shouted.

"Yes. Can you get me out ?" called Dan.

"Stand back Dan !" called out Tom. "Moby, would you open the door please ?" he asked the robot.

The robot walked up to the door and handed Tom his head. "Hold my head. Please," said Moby. Tom duly tucked the robot's head under his arm. Moby then shoved his arm through the metal door and pulled it off its hinges, before throwing the door to the floor.

"Woah !" said a horrified Dan, staring at the apparently headless robot from the far end of his cell. "That's the thing that brought me here !" he said, pressing himself against the wall at his back.

"Oh, it's Okay. He's on our side now," said Tom. "He's called Moby," he said with a smile.

Dan's lips moved to the name, but no sound came out.

"Dan, are you alright ?" demanded Keri, running past Tom and pulling Dan into a hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Erm, can we go ?" he asked.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. My robot and I.**

"_Oh, it's Okay. He's on our side now," said Tom. "He's called Moby," he said with a smile. _

_Dan's lips moved to the name, but no sound came out._

"_Dan, are you alright ?" demanded Keri, running past Tom and pulling Dan into a hug._

"_Yeah, I'm fine thanks. Erm, can we go ?" he asked._

Dan felt the warmth of Keri's embrace and instantly relaxed. He hadn't realised how tense he had been since he'd woken up once again in the cell. His treatment here had been better than any he had ever experienced with KORPS, but still, the constant fear of not knowing what was going to happen next was draining. He hugged Keri back gratefully and smiled at his team. "It's good to see you," he said, not half as calmly as he would have liked.

Frank smiled happily back at him. "Come on. We need to get you out of here. As soon as we're out I'll let your family know you are safe," he promised.

Dan instantly felt guilty. He could never forget the look on his sister's face as he was dragged away in the night. She had looked devastated. Things were never going to be the same again. Keri squeezed his hand. "Just cross that bridge when you come to it Okay ?" she said quietly, so only he would hear. He nodded slightly and followed her out of the room.

Dan sat silently in the van with the others as they were driven away. Stella and Frank were cheerful and chatty after a successful mission and Tom was busy showing off Moby to anyone who would listen, which was currently Aneisha. Keri sat unusually quietly watching Dan, trying not to make it obvious. He looked better than when she'd last seen him. "You look better," she said to him.

Dan looked up, jolted out of his thoughts. "Do I ? I suppose I might do. It was like a holiday to start with," he said with a slight smile.

"To start with ?" asked Keri.

"Er, Keri !" interrupted Stella. "Dan will be de-briefed after his medical check-up," she said, motioning Keri to back off. Keri reluctantly did as she was told and Dan slumped back into his chair, lost in his own thoughts again.

"Hello, Mrs. Morgan ? Good news ! We have Dan. He's safe and sound," came Frank's voice. He had phoned Dan's mother. "Yes, not long now. We will take him for a quick medical check-up and then … no, no problem at all," Frank was now hurriedly reassuring her. "It's a precaution, that's all. We want to make sure everything is fine. He'll be back home as soon as we've finished with him, alright ? Yes, I'll see you then," said Frank, closing the call.

"Not long now Dan," he said. "Once medical have finished, we'll quickly go over what happened and then you can go home. I made a promise to your sister. Can't go back on that can I ?" he said, smiling. Dan shook his head.

A couple of hours later, Dan's front door opened to reveal his Mum and sister. He was instantly enveloped in hugs from both. "Oh Danny ! You're back !" squealed his sister. "Thankyou Frank !" she said, bursting into tears.

"I've called your Dad. He's on his way home," said Dan's Mum. She nodded to Frank who nodded back, before she closed the door, drawing Dan inside.

Xxxxxxooooooooxxxxxxx

The next morning, Tom arrived at school early and shot down to the base. He wanted to tinker with Moby. He stepped out of the lift rubbing his hands in anticipation of an enjoyable hour or so of making and mending. That was weird. Frank must have moved the robot. Tom had left it sitting against a wall at the side of the lab area. There was nothing there. He searched the whole base and some of the storage areas, but still could not find Moby. Tom was standing in the middle of the base frowning when Frank walked in. "Oh, you're in early Tom. What's the matter ?" asked Frank.

"Where's Moby ?" asked Tom. "I was going to do some work on him," he explained.

"Oh, really ?" said Frank in surprise. "Technical collected the robot last night and took it away to put into storage. We don't want one of those things hanging around the place do we ?" he said smiling. The smile faded when he saw the obvious upset on Tom's face.

"No !" wailed Tom. "I wanted to fix him !"

"Why Tom ?" asked Frank in confusion. "It's a killer robot."

"Not any more he's not ! I made him better. He was really great !" protested Tom.

"Yes, you did make it useful Tom, but why do you want to keep it ?" asked Frank. "We don't use robotic killers in MI9," he said gently. He guessed that Tom had become attached to his new toy and didn't want to let it go.

Tom thought fast. The truth was that he had enjoyed playing with Moby and he had a secret wish to teach the robot to dance. Wouldn't that be great ? In reality, he was never going to persuade MI9 to let him have a potentially lethal robot just so he could teach it to dance. Tom thought quickly. "Well, for one thing, we haven't investigated all the useful things a robot could do for MI9," he said. "What about his superior strength. He opened the door to Dan's cell," he pointed out.

"Yes, but we could have used explosive," said Frank, folding his arms over his chest.

"Too noisy," said Tom flatly. "Moby did it pretty quietly, you have to admit ?" he suggested.

Frank nodded once. "Alright, I'll give you that. What else then ? We want more than strength," he said.

"Okay," said Tom, frantically trying to think of something. "How about his knowledge of KORPS ? He told us how to get into the KORPS base. We could have been looking for an entrance for ages," he said triumphantly.

"Well, we do have scanners and other technology which would have helped us to identify the holographic entrance disguise," said Frank thoughtfully. "Although, I admit we would probably not have got in so quickly."

"Exactly !" said Tom, scenting victory. "And even seconds can make a difference sometimes can't it ?" he asked. "I can make Moby fully functional and we can see how useful he would be in missions," he said. Tom held his breath. Was Frank going to buy it ?

"All fair points Tom. Alright, I tell you what I'll do. I'll get on the phone to Stella and see if she will allow you to work on your robot for a trial period only and then we can test out its viability. There is going to be a lot of resistance within MI9 to using an Invisible Death robot though Tom, so don't hold your breath," Frank warned. Frank glanced at his watch. "You'd better get back upstairs. You've got assembly this morning," he pointed out.

Xxxxxxxxxoooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tom walked into the assembly hall and spotted his friends sitting near the side of the room. Aneisha slipped her bag off the seat she had been saving for him. Tom smiled his thanks and sat down. "You alright Dan ?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, fine," said Dan. There wasn't time for any more discussion before Mr. Flatley ineffectually tried to call for silence. As normal, he could not be heard above the din of conversation and his pleas were followed by a bellow from Mrs. King which brought near instant silence.

"Oh, thankyou Mrs. King," said Mr. Flatley. "Welcome everyone. Good news ! Next week the school will be holding a special technology awareness week. We want everyone to bring in any technological projects you might have on the go so that you can share with everyone. These could be any form of technology. We want to see anything, be it hardware, software or erm, other stuff," said Mr. Flatley, already flustered.

Mrs. King rolled her eyes and stood up beside the headteacher. "What Mr. Flatley means is that anything relating to Food Tech, Textiles or Woodworking are just as interesting as your latest gadgets and games software," said Mrs. King sarcastically.

"Er, thankyou for explaining that, Mrs. King," said Mr. Flatley, before moving on to other business.

Tom clenched his fists victoriously. "Yes, Moby !" he hissed happily.

The others all turned and stared at him. "You are kidding aren't you ?" asked Aneisha. "He's got to be kidding right ?" she whispered, turning to the other two. They all looked at Tom.

"What ?" he whispered. "What's wrong with that ?" he demanded.


	12. Chapter 12

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. My robot and I.**

_Tom clenched his fists victoriously. "Yes, Moby !" he hissed happily._

_The others all turned and stared at him. "You are kidding aren't you ?" asked Aneisha. "He's got to be kidding right ?" she whispered, turning to the other two. They all looked at Tom._

"_What ?" he whispered. "What's wrong with that ?" he demanded._

"Tom, let's get this straight. You are thinking of bringing Moby in to school," said Dan carefully.

"Well, maybe through school and into the base," said Tom. He looked at the others' faces and he wasn't happy with what he was seeing.

"Tom, seriously ? You are planning to bring a KORPS killing machine into school ?" Keri demanded.

"He's not like that !" Tom protested.

"Tom, from where I was dangling, in mid-air, a couple of days ago, it felt very much like that !" hissed Dan furiously.

"No, I've changed him ! He's got the three laws of robotics now," said Tom. "Always obey Tom, always protect MI9 agents and look after yourself," he explained.

Aneisha looked at him curiously. "Tom, why didn't you tell it to obey MI9 agents ?" she asked.

"Well, because it's too complicated. He can't always know who is an MI9 agent and who isn't," said Tom. "He can always know who I am though," he said confidently, "So he can always do what I tell him to do." There was another pause.

"Tom, you don't get it do you ?" said Dan quietly. He sighed and chose his words carefully. "You said it yourself. Moby doesn't know for himself who is and who is not an MI9 agent. You've programmed him to protect MI9 agents. What about kids ? What about Mr. Flatley ? Is he going to protect them ? What if Lady J bumps into him in the corridor ? Will he protect her, or protect himself ?"

"Ha ! You said 'him'," said Tom triumphantly.

"Tom !" shouted Dan angrily, before looking round hastily to check who might have heard. Satisfied that the coast was clear, since everyone else had left the hall, he continued. "Tom, you're missing the point. This robot has been built and programmed by KORPS, who don't care who gets hurt. You've changed a few lines of code, haven't you ?" he asked. Tom reluctantly nodded. "Do you really think that is going to be enough to make that machine entirely safe ?" asked Dan. "Look, this is what Moby did when he wasn't trying to hurt someone," he said, reluctantly lifting his shirt loose from his trousers. The others winced at the sight of the now yellowing bruises around Dan's waist and stomach. He hurriedly shoved his shirt back inside his waist band.

Tom leant back in his chair. He hadn't really thought it through like that. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. "Okay, you've got a point," he agreed thoughtfully. "The thing is, I really want to see what I can do with Moby. I think I can make a useful robot for MI9. It might make missions safer. We could send a robot in where we wouldn't send an agent. I get your point about it not being safe to bring him into school. Okay, so how about I keep him in the base and work on him there ? It's more controlled conditions there and he knows who you all are. How about it ?" he asked.

The others looked at one another and sighed. Dan nodded, as did Keri. Finally, Aneisha turned to Tom. "Okay Tom, we'll agree to you working on Moby in the base, but not forever. We've all had bad experiences with those robots and we're not going to find it easy. Do you understand ?" she asked seriously.

"Yes, I understand," said Tom. He now felt a bit guilty that he would make his friends spend time with something which had hurt them all in the past. "I'll do my best," he promised. "I won't let him get out of control, I promise," he said quietly. Then he brightened. "It would have been so cool to see the look on Mr. Flatley's face if I brought Moby in as my project though wouldn't it ?" he giggled.

The others smiled. "That's true, but in the circumstances, one experience I'm prepared to miss," said Keri, before getting up and hauling her bag on to her shoulder. "Geography I believe !" she said. The others groaned and followed her out of the hall.

The day passed uneventfully for the spies. Frank let Tom know he had permission to work on the robot within the confines of their base. MI9's technical department would deliver it to the base the next day. After the call, Tom noticed Aneisha watching him closely. "I promise I'm going to be careful Neish, honest," he promised her. "I don't want Moby to hurt anyone," he added.

Aneisha smiled and hugged him. "I know you'll do your best," she said gently. "Come on, last lesson !"

At the end of the day Dan shoved his books away in his bag and went to the lockers to get rid of what he didn't need. As he left the classroom he heard soft footsteps behind him. Startled he jumped back, spinning round with his hands coming up into a defensive position. He found an equally startled Mrs. King standing behind him. "Daniel ?" she asked in shock. "I didn't mean to surprise you," she reassured him.

"Oh, sorry Mrs. King. I'm a bit jumpy," Dan admitted. "Sorry," he repeated, before rushing out of the room in embarrassment.

"Dan ? You Okay ?" asked Keri from behind him.

Dan turned, looking sheepish. "Yeah. I'm fine," he said. "It makes me nervous when people creep up behind me," he explained.

"To be fair, she wasn't sneaking up behind you. She was just walking across the room," said Keri.

"Okay, well I over-reacted," said Dan. They had reached the lockers and he was angrily stuffing unwanted books inside.

"Dan, it's Okay to admit you're not feeling great," said Keri gently. "We're here for you." She glanced around but most students were now leaving. Nobody appeared to be taking any notice of them. "How was it at home last night ?" she asked.

"Oh, I got hugged nearly to death," said Dan, sounding exasperated. Then his head dropped and Keri could see that he wanted to say something, but couldn't. He looked away. Keri reached out and took his hands, pulling him closer. Abruptly Dan wrapped his arms around her, clinging on tightly. Keri wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back gently. She felt water trickle down the side of her neck. He was crying. She hugged him tighter and waited for him to get the words out. At last she heard his whisper. "It's just that I never really thought about what it would be like for them, you know, when something happened to me," he murmured. "I'll never forget the look on Sam's face," he said, his voice breaking. "I had to tell her what I do. It wouldn't make sense otherwise."

"She sounds like a smart girl," said Keri, stroking Dan's hair.

He laughed and gulped. "Yes, she is," he agreed.

"And they all love you," added Keri. Dan nodded into her shoulder. "Could be worse," said Keri.

Dan laughed slightly and lifted his head, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "Sorry, I've cried on your shoulder. It's wet," he apologised.

Keri glanced at her damp shoulder and shrugged. "Oh is that what it is. I thought you'd dribbled," she said. Dan stood back in shock, before bursting into giggles. Keri grinned back at him.

Dan looked at her fondly. "You really know how to make things better don't you ?" he said, pulling Keri close and kissing her on the lips. "Thanks Keri !" he said, hugging her tightly.

"It's my job," said Keri fondly. "You doing anything tonight ?" she asked.

Dan looked guilty. "Oh, well, I thought I'd better be at home tonight, you know ..." he trailed off.

"Of course, I understand," Keri assured him.

"Oh ! Wait, you could come for tea maybe ?" suggested Dan. "I'll ask if it's Okay," he said, hurriedly pulling out his phone. After a brief phone call Dan smiled at her. "Mum says it's fine. Do you want to come ?" he asked. "I'll introduce you to Sam," he promised.

Keri smiled at him. "Yes, I would like that very much," she said. "I'll call my Mum and let her know."

Minutes later the two strolled out of the school gate together, hand in hand. "Now," said Keri. "You can tell me what happened while you were with KORPS." She looked across at Dan's unhappy face. "You need to tell me Dan. You've got to get it off your chest," she told him. He nodded, took a deep breath and started talking.


	13. Chapter 13

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Little sister interrogations and an everyday school day.**

_Minutes later the two strolled out of the school gate together, hand in hand. "Now," said Keri. "You can tell me what happened while you were with KORPS." She looked across at Dan's unhappy face. "You need to tell me Dan. You've got to get it off your chest," she told him. He nodded, took a deep breath and started talking._

Later that evening Dan sighed with relief as he, Keri and his sister left the kitchen where they'd eaten tea and went to sit in the living room. Sam and Keri had chatted happily and seemed to be getting on well. Dan was happy that his sister liked his new girlfriend. He knew that this shouldn't matter. Sam was only his little sister, but if he was really honest, he valued her opinion. When Keri left to use the bathroom Sam threw herself onto the sofa next to Dan. "Danny !" she whispered urgently. Dan wondered what on earth she was going to say. "Danny, erm, Keri is really nice and everything .." she said, coming to at halt.

"Yes. What is it Sam ?" asked Dan warily.

"Well, the thing is, she's got red hair, and green eyes, kind of like Zoe hasn't she ?" asked Sam, refusing to look directly at Dan.

"Yes, I know. They're sort of sisters," said Dan.

Sam looked at him strangely. "You mean, you're now going out with Zoe's sister ?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," said Dan. He thought he could see where this was going.

"So, does Zoe have any other sisters ?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, quite a few," admitted Dan, wincing mentally. There was no way he was going to explain the 84 sisters to Sam.

"You won't be going out with any of them then ?" asked Sam.

"God no !" said Dan forcefully. "What would I do that for ?" he asked.

"Well, what I mean is, you're not going out with Keri just because she's a bit like Zoe are you ?" asked Sam seriously.

Dan felt really angry. What was Sam thinking ? She was making him sound like some kind of weirdo who went out with a girl because she looked just like the one he couldn't have. He was about to give Sam a piece of his mind when he stopped. Was he just going out with Keri because she reminded him of Zoe ? That wouldn't be fair on Keri. Was he some kind of weirdo ? Dan sat in confusion next to his sister. "I don't know. What do you think ?" he asked his sister.

Sam looked at him and he could see the concern in her eyes. "Well, I think," she said, putting the emphasis on 'think', "that if you are willing to stop and think about it, then no you probably aren't," she said. Dan felt huge relief, but was still unsure of himself. His sister obviously saw his upset and gave him a hug. "It's Okay Danny. You're a good person," she told him, and kissed him on the cheek.

Keri walked in the room. "Everything alright ?" she asked, looking concerned. She could see that Dan was upset about something.

"Yes, it's fine. Just brother sister stuff," said Sam cheerfully. "I'm going to do some homework. See ya later !" she said, waltzing out of the room.

"Is everything alright ?" Keri asked him, sitting down and picking up Dan's hand.

"Yeah, it's Okay. Sisters can ask such awkward questions, you know ?" Dan said shakily. He didn't want to explain.

"I don't really, but I'd like to," said Keri honestly.

Dan smiled at her fondly, and pulled her into a hug. "You can borrow mine," he offered. "Any time !"

xxxxxxxxooooooooxxxxxxxx

Aneisha walked into school early, but still dragging her heels. She always got in early, just in case Frank had anything for them. Today, she knew that that THING would be there. She shivered involuntarily. She knew that if she went down to the base, then Tom would be sitting there with his robot. She had watched MI9 fighting the robot outside her house through an upstairs window. They had used some form of taser to subdue it in the end. Until then, it had looked invincible and she had been convinced it would crash through her front door and attack her and her family. She hated that robot, but she knew that Tom loved it. That was the only reason she was prepared to tolerate it.

When she arrived at the door to the caretaker's cupboard, she found Dan and Keri in conversation. They both looked round at her. Aneisha could see the unease on Keri's face. Dan's face showed no emotion but she could tell that he was trying to hide his nerves, because he was shifting from one foot to the other. He was ready to run. "Well, we're going to have to face it some time," said Aneisha, pressing her thumb to the fingerprint pad under the light switch. They stepped into the storeroom and pulled the broom handle. Stepping out into the base in their spy gear they immediately saw Tom huddled over something on his desk. He had the robot's head in pieces on the bench and appeared to be extracting a small piece of circuit-board. He started and dropped the board when they all walked up beside him.

"Oh Hi !" he said nervously. "I thought I'd better get started seeing as I don't have much time. It's Okay, Moby's in bits at the moment," he tried to assure them. Tom pointed to a chair next to his desk, where a one-armed and headless robotic body was sitting. "I've got a lot to do, so I won't be starting him up any time soon," he promised them.

"What's that bit ?" asked Dan, pointing at the small circuit board tom was picking up off the floor.

"That ? Oh, I think it might be the invisibility circuit," said Tom distractedly. "I thought it might be useful if I could figure out how it works and get it going again," he explained.

"You're going to … make it invisible ?" asked Aneisha, as casually as she could manage.

Tom looked up from the circuit and even he could pick up on the body language being spoken by his friends. Dan had gone rigid. Keri's eyes were wide open and Aneisha was leaning backwards away from the desk. "Well, only if everyone is Okay with it," said Tom gently. "I'm not even sure if I can get it to work yet," he tried to assure them. He sighed heavily and frowned at the device in his hand. "Invisibility would be really useful for MI9's operations, wouldn't it ?" he asked.

Everyone visibly relaxed. "Yes, it would be useful," agreed Dan with the smallest smile. "Good work Tom. You keep at it," he said, trying to sound encouraging. "I think we'd best get going," he said, pointing back at the lift. "See you later Tom !"

The three agents stepped carefully out into the corridor outside the Janitor's Cupboard. "He might not get it working properly," said Keri tentatively.

"Oh he will," said Dan heavily. "He's the cleverest person I ever met." He sighed and looked up to two smiling faces. "Just don't tell him I said that. His head's big enough as it is !"

Tom eventually reappeared after lunch. "Ah Tom, there you are. Where have you been ?" asked Mr. Flatley curiously.

"I've been working on my tech project Mr. Flatley," said Tom.

"Oh, excellent ! And what are you working on Tom ?" asked Mr. Flatley.

"I'm working on an invisibility circuit," said Tom happily.

Mr. Flatley's mouth hung open. "Well, that sounds very ambitious Tom. Erm, are you sure you might not be aiming a little high ?" he asked.

"No. It's going great," Tom assured him.

"Well, that's excellent Tom. Well done !" said Mr. Flatley encouragingly, if a little vaguely.

Aneisha leaned towards Tom as he sat down. "Do you think it's a good idea telling people what you're working on for MI9 ?" she asked him.

"Naw ! Nobody's going to believe me ! And anyway, they're never going to see it are they ? Ha, ha ! They'll never see it ! Get it ?" laughed Tom. Aneisha looked back to see Keri rolling her eyes and Dan gently banging his head on the desk.


	14. Chapter 14

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Top quality disguises.**

**Thanks for the reviews you special people have posted. Always makes it worth while. **

_Aneisha leaned towards Tom as he sat down. "Do you think it's a good idea telling people what you're working on for MI9 ?" she asked him._

"_Naw ! Nobody's going to believe me ! And anyway, they're never going to see it are they ? Ha, ha ! They'll never see it ! Get it ?" laughed Tom. Aneisha looked back to see Keri rolling her eyes and Dan gently banging his head on the desk._

It was nearly the end of the day when the team's pencil communicators started to flash. Mr. Flatley had divided the class into small groups to debate the issue of whether Morris Dancing should be classed a national sport. Most groups had been arguing about who would be in favour, since everyone thought it was a stupid idea. In the resulting hubbub it was simple for the team to slip out unnoticed.

"What is it Frank ?" asked Tom as they walked into base expectantly. Frank walked towards them, carrying a metal leg. "Isn't that Moby's leg ?" asked Tom.

"Ah, yes. I thought I would try to straighten him up a bit," said Frank, waving the leg about. "Give you a hand and all that ..." he tailed off, as he saw the expression on Tom's face. "Erm, you don't mind do you ?" he asked faintly. It was obvious that Tom did mind, a lot. Frank hurriedly put the leg down and dusted off his hands on his trouser legs. "Right, we've got an assignment. Should be fairly straight-forward, but you know, vigilant at all times, etcetera," said Frank, waffling nervously.

"What do you want us to do Frank ?" asked Dan.

"Oh ! Didn't I say ?" asked Frank, looking surprised. The all shook their heads. "Ah, sorry. Right, MI9 have reason to believe that this office block, is being used to store stolen weapons for KORPS," said Frank, pulling an image up on the big screen. "It's local to us, so we've been asked to infiltrate the building and search for any hidden contraband," he explained.

"How are we going to break in ?" asked Dan.

"Oh, that's easy. You're going to be the cleaning crew tonight," said Frank happily. "We've intercepted the contract cleaning company and you will take their place. Any questions ?"

"Do we have to be cleaners ?" asked Keri. "I'm trying to grow my nails ! I caught one in the locker door last week and had to cut them all short to match."

Frank sighed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Here are your gadgets," he said, pointing to an array of devices on a bench top. "I've adjusted these spy pods to scan for metallic objects and this device sniffs for explosives," he explained. He held up one final item. "This is a projector. Record your image and then it will play back on any surface, including glass."

"Rover ?" said Aneisha, reading the label on the sniffer device.

"Yes. Watch how you use that," Frank warned. "It can be set off by strong body odours as well as explosives."

"Better not run it past Dan's PE kit then," said Tom cheekily, swinging round in his wheelie chair.

"Yeah, very funny Tom !" said Dan sarcastically. "You can run it past Tom's PE kit. He never gets into a sweat !" he complained.

"Yes, all right team !" warned Frank. "Tom's on comms as usual and the rest of you have your disguises," he said, pointing to a pile of clothing in the corner.

"Overalls. Our disguise is overalls," said Dan in disgust.

"Yes, well that is generally what cleaners wear," said Frank. "Unless you would like a moustache and beard as well," he suggested.

"Nope ! Overalls are fine !" said Dan, flatly, before walking over and pulling out the largest pair of overalls. Frank new how much Dan hated moustaches. Admittedly he had been making Dan wear them a lot. They made him look a bit older, Frank thought and a beard always made a man look more distinguished he thought, tweaking his tie back into place.

"Can I have a moustache and beard ?" asked Keri innocently.

Dan hurriedly bent down to pull on his overalls to hide his grin. He sneaked a look at Aneisha's face as she did the same and the two had to stifle their giggles.

"Keri ! Really !" complained Frank. "The van is picking you up in ten minutes," he finished rather grumpily. "Oh, and good luck !"

"Said like you really meant it Frank," said Aneisha, as the three walked into the lift.

Twenty minutes later the three spies walked into the reception of the target office building, identity cards dangling from chains round their necks. The guard at the security desk eyed them up suspiciously. "You're not the usual lot !" he complained.

"Chickenpox !" said Aneisha.

"What, all of them ?" demanded the man disbelievingly.

Aneisha shrugged. "What can I say ?" she said, lifting her eyebrows in a bored expression.

The man snorted derisively and unlocked the entrance door for them. "Cleaning cupboard's the second on the left !" he called out to them as they went through.

"I can't believe you got us in with one word !" Dan hissed in Aneisha's ear.

"The less you say the better," Aneisha told him. "People fill in their own story and you don't get confused," she explained. They collected a mixture of cleaning equipment from the storage cupboard. Dan started running a floor polisher over the corridor floor while Keri filmed him. He shoved the polisher back into the cupboard while Keri then clipped the projector to door. If the guard glanced through the window, all he would see was Dan polishing the floor.

They picked up buckets, brushes and mops. "What way Tom ?" asked Dan. "It's a big place. Shall we split up ?" he asked.

"I think you will need to. Your cleaning job only lasts two hours and there are five floors to check out," said Tom's voice in their ears. "Why don't you take a floor each ?" he suggested.

"Right, I'll do the basement, Aneisha ground floor and Keri first floor ?" suggested Dan. The others nodded and they split up. Aneisha had checked only a couple of rooms when an alarm started to sound.

"Alert, intruders !" blared out a recorded voice.

"Aneisha ! Get upstairs with Keri !" called out Dan's voice in Aneisha's ear.

"What about you ?" asked Aneisha, breaking into a run for the stairs.

"I'll find another way out," Dan promised.

Aneisha heard a door bursting open and footsteps thundering down the corridor as the door to the stairs swung shut behind her. "Tom ? What do we do ?" Aneisha called out in desperation.

"Keri's on the next floor. Both of you get up to the roof and we'll take things from there," came Frank's insistent voice over their comms.

Aneisha jumped when the door leading on to the first floor flung open in front of her. She instinctively dropped into a defensive posture and then relaxed when she found Keri standing, grinning in front of her. "Come on ! Let's get on the roof !" whispered Keri. The two agents ran up the stairs at top speed. Then they heard the door slamming open on the ground floor below them. They froze, pressing themselves against the wall to avoid being seen.

"Get down to the basement. They're in there !" shouted a voice below them.

Keri and Aneisha looked at one another in horror. "Dan must have triggered the alarm !" said Aneisha.


	15. Chapter 15

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Catwomen.**

"_Come on ! Let's get on the roof !" whispered Keri. The two agents ran up the stairs at top speed. Then they heard the door slamming open on the ground floor below them. They froze, pressing themselves against the wall to avoid being seen._

"_Get down to the basement. They're in there !" shouted a voice below them._

_Keri and Aneisha looked at one another in horror. "Dan must have triggered the alarm !" said Aneisha._

The two girls arrived panting at a door marked 'No Entry to Unauthorised Personnel'. Keri looked at Aneisha and lifted her eyebrows, before kicking the door open. "Never could resist a No Entry sign," said Keri lightly. Aneisha laughed and followed Keri through the door. A cold breeze hit her face. It was dark outside now. The found themselves standing on a concreted roof covered in a black felted material. The ran to the edge and looked over at the long drop to the ground. "Er, Frank, what do we do now ?" asked Keri uncertainly.

"Look across at the roof opposite," instructed Frank's voice. Aneisha and Keri looked across to a building opposite. "On the roof !" ordered Frank's voice. They looked across to the rooftop of the building opposite and saw a figure waving to them. "Now you need to step back," ordered Frank. They did as they were told and jumped when a bolt shot through the dark and embedded itself in the low wall in front of them. "You're going to use the zip wire to swing across to the other building," instructed Frank.

The two agents leaned out over the parapet to look at the wire. "It's pretty thin Frank," said Aneisha. "I don't think I'll be able to hang on to it," she said worriedly.

"What about these ?" asked Keri, waving her mop handle at Aneisha. "You could use your broom handle," she suggested.

Aneisha looked at the drop below them and gulped. "Is this really the only way ?" Aneisha asked nervously. Suddenly there was a burst of shouting over their comms which was quickly cut off. "What was that ?" demanded Aneisha in fright.

"It was Dan's comms. Leave that to us. We need to get you off that roof !" came Tom's voice. "Hurry ! You don't have much time !" he insisted.

"Put your broom over the wire and swing yourself off the side," said Keri gently. "I'll help you," she promised. A shaking Aneisha put her broom handle over the wire, sitting on the parapet. "Get your other arm under the wire," said Keri, helping Aneisha get a grip either side of the wire. "And go !" she said, pushing Aneisha off the wall and out over the dark void below.

"Aneisha wanted to scream, but she couldn't get any sound out of her throat. Nnnnnnnnnnnnnoooo !" she finally managed to call out as she saw the wall of the opposite building hurtling towards her. She lifted up her legs to try to cushion the landing. Miraculously she succeed and before she could slip backwards away from safety, hands reached over and pulled her up and over the wall to stand on the roof of the lower building. "Thanks !" she gasped. Aneisha turned just in time to see Keri's ecstatic face rushing towards them, before she too was helped over the edge.

"Wow ! That was such a rush !" squealed Keri. "I could so do that again !" she said.

The MI9 agent who had helped them up grinned in amusement. "Glad you enjoyed it, but I think we should leave," he suggested.

The agent grabbed some kind of crossbow before leading them to a door from the roof. Keri asked, "What about Dan ? Our teammate ?" she asked when the man looked blank.

"Sorry, I don't know anything about that. I just had to retrieve you two," he said. "Come on, before KORPS catch on !" he instructed. Reluctantly they followed him to safety.

As soon as the door to the MI9 van slid shut the girls' comms came online again. They could hear Tom's tense voice giving instructions. "Dan, there should be a door coming up on your right," said Tom.

They heard the sound of banging and Dan's voice snapped. "It's locked !"

"That's got to be the one Dan. Use a charge from you utility set," instructed Frank.

"I could use Dan's Spy Pod to decode the lock," suggested Tom.

"It's got a key-hole," said Dan shortly. They could hear more banging. "Come on !" hissed Dan. Then they heard shouting. "They're here !" shouted Dan.

"We'll try to get in from the outside !" called out Frank's voice. "Keep them off as long as you can Dan !" he instructed.

Keri and Aneisha hugged one another. They felt helpless. "Can't we help ?" asked Keri faintly.

The MI9 agent who had rescued them shook his head sadly. "Not our job. Don't worry, there's someone else on the case," he promised them.

They could hear nothing but grunts and the occasional groan through the comms now. Aneisha could picture Dan fighting off the KORPS agents. She wondered how many there were. If only they had stayed together !

"Dan, get away from the door !" shouted Frank's voice over the comms. Keri and Aneisha winced from the volume. This was followed by a shout from Dan and a loud Bang ! Then there was more shouting. Keri had her hand over her mouth. She was trying to hold back a scream.

"We've got Agent Morgan !" snapped a voice over comms. "KORPS agents neutralised. Making our exit now," they reported.

Keri and Aneisha hugged one another tightly, laughing. Even the adult agent was grinning happily. "Told you !" he said. Then he jumped up and pulled open the door. Four MI9 agents were outside panting heavily. One had Dan's arm over his shoulder and seemed to be helping him to walk. Everyone piled inside, they slammed the door shut and the van roared off into the night.

Keri and Aneisha struggled to see Dan's face. There was a tangle of arms and legs as people twisted around one another to find seats in the rapidly moving vehicle. A woman half fell into the seat next to the girls. "Whoops !" she laughed as she pulled on a seat belt. "You'd better buckle up Agents !" she warned Keri and Aneisha, who reluctantly put on their seat belts as well. Now that they were restricted they had no way of seeing Dan.

"Dan, are you Okay ?" asked Keri worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dan answered. He sounded tired, but Keri and Aneisha relaxed at the sound of his voice. "Turns out I'm a proper Ninja with a mop handle !" he joked. "We should get Frank to make them standard kit."

"Don't suggest it !" warned Keri. "He'll have us dressed as janitors on every mission !" she laughed.

The van eventually stopped and everyone climbed out. For the first time, Keri and Aneisha realised that Dan was struggling to walk. With two agents supporting him, he limped into the MI9 medical unit. They sat him in a wheelchair and he was whisked away. "I thought he said he was fine," said Keri accusingly. The other agents shrugged.

"He's pretty good considering," said the man who had helped them. "He took quite a battering, but I'm guessing it's mostly bruising," he added. "Wait here while they check him over," he said, pointing to a row of chairs. Keri and Aneisha sat down to wait impatiently and the other agents left.

Frank and Tom rushed into the waiting area. "Oh, thank goodness !" said Frank. "That was a bit too close for comfort," he said in obvious relief. Aneisha had been on the verge of shouting at Frank due to her anxiety, but it washed away when she heard the tone of Frank's voice. She realised that it hadn't been any easier for him to listen to his team in trouble from a distance.

"We didn't find anything Frank," said Aneisha apologetically.

"That's all right," said Frank. "I'm just glad we got you all back. I can't understand how they found you so quickly. I was sure we had it covered !" he said, scratching his head.

A man in a white coat came out into the hall and they all leapt to their feet. "Agent London ?" asked the man. Frank nodded. "Ah, Doctor Thomas. Agent Morgan is bruised, but nothing broken luckily. We'll release him in an hour or so and you can take him home," the doctor explained. "He's through here," he said, taking them through to a treatment room.

Keri saw Dan sitting in a bed in the small treatment room, his clothes piled on a chair next to the bed. He hurriedly pulled the blankets up to his chest as they all walked in. "Dan ! Mate ! Boy that was pretty close !" exclaimed Tom.

"How did you get out ?" Dan asked Keri and Aneisha.

"Don't ask !" groaned Aneisha.

"Wow ! It was great !" crowed Keri. "Zip wire across to another building ! You've got to try it !" she grinned.

"Sounds like fun," Dan said with a smile. He lay back against the pillows looking tired. "What happened ?" he asked Frank.

"I wish we knew. Did you notice anything which might have been an alarm ?" he asked the others.

Dan, Aneisha and Keri shook their heads. "They all rushed down to the basement," said Keri.

"Yes, we heard someone shouting that we were in the basement," added Aneisha. Everyone looked at Dan.

Dan lifted his hands in surrender. There were bruises on his forearms. "Nope, nothing that I recognised. They might have alarmed some of the doors I opened," he suggested. "I didn't pick up any traces of weapons or explosives though," he added. "I guess I must have set off something," he said, looking depressed.

"Dan, it's not your fault," Frank assured him. "It could have been anything. We'll have to prepare better next time," he said. "I'm just glad you all got out safely. Erm, how are you feeling ?" he asked .

Dan shrugged. "Bit sore, you know," he said, glancing up briefly at Frank.

Frank grunted. "I think you'd better have a day off school," he said. "In fact, I think I'll give you all a couple of days break. We need to check whether we have a leak. KORPS were on to you far too quickly. Those agents came in from outside, so you would have to have set off an alarm as soon as you arrived at the building." They all looked at one another in alarm. "Right, come on, I'll take you home," he said.

"Can I stay with Dan until he's released ?" asked Keri.

"Don't see why not," said Frank. Tom and Aneisha followed him out of the room. Tom looked dreamy.

"You're thinking about that damned robot aren't you ?" hissed Aneisha in his ear.

"No !" protested Tom. Aneisha knew better !

Meanwhile, Keri sat in the chair next to Dan's bed. A nurse came in and handed Dan a small box and a tub of cream. "Cream for the cuts and painkillers," said the nurse briskly. "Two, four hours apart and no more than eight in one day," she instructed. Dan took the containers and nodded. The nurse handed him a glass of water. "Two now," she said with a smile. Dan nodded wearily, before taking two of the painkillers. He sank back into the pillows gratefully.

"Where did they get you then ?" asked Keri.

"Hm ? Oh, stomach, legs, arms, usual," said Dan vaguely.

Keri stood up and pulled the blanket down, before Dan grabbed it to stop her. She saw several deep bruises across Dan's stomach. "Aw !" said Keri sympathetically. She bent over and gently kissed a couple of the bruises. "Better ?" she asked, eyebrows arched.

"Mmmm. Stop it !" groaned Dan, trying to drag the blanket back over himself.

"Do you want me to kiss the ones on your legs ?" asked Keri .

"Oh, God no !" said Dan faintly, pulling his knees up to his chest. He looked deeply embarrassed.

The door opened and Frank looked in. "You've been discharged. We can take you home now Dan. Why don't you slip your clothes back on and Keri and I will wait out here," he suggested.

Keri smiled to herself while Frank left to fetch a wheelchair. She felt a guilty pleasure knowing why Dan was so embarrassed.


	16. Chapter 16

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Ordinary days.**

_Keri smiled to herself while Frank left to fetch a wheelchair. She felt a guilty pleasure knowing why Dan was so embarrassed._

Keri and Aneisha had a quiet couple of days at school. Dan was officially off sick while he recovered from his beating. Tom continued working on Moby at every opportunity. He even brought some circuitry up into school so that he could work under the guise of completing his technical project. "Ah yes, the invisibility project," said Mr. Flatley in an encouraging voice as he looked over Tom's shoulder. "Well, it does look rather complicated," he added, clearly impressed by the mass of chips and wires on the circuit board on Tom's bench. "And is this going to be a solo project Tom ?" he asked.

Tom looked in confusion. "What ? Oh, yeah, well Dan's not been around to help, you know," he tailed off. Tom wondered if people actually thought that Dan did anything on these science projects. He usually left Tom to get on with it. Tom provided the brains and Dan provided the brawn. Except that the girls didn't seem to respect the brains side of the equation. Tom felt a momentary twinge of jealousy and annoyance. Then he reminded himself that he wasn't sitting at home covered in bruises. Well, maybe he, Tom, was going to make a difference next time. Next time, Dan was going to have Moby to help. Tom was determined to show everyone that his robot could be a big help in the fight against KORPS. After all, what could be better than turning one of KORPS' own inventions against them ? Tom smiled in anticipation. He would love to see the look on the Crime Minister's face when she found her own Invisible Death robot dealing out justice against her own evil organisation.

"What's making you so happy ?" asked a quiet voice at his side.

Tom glanced round and saw Aneisha's curious face. "I was thinking about Moby kicking some KORPS butt," said Tom, with grim satisfaction. Aneisha smiled. Tom could have sworn that she looked a little proud. He had a massive surge of pride and thought his chest would burst open with it.

"Invisible yet ?" asked Keri, coming up on Tom's other side.

"Aren't I usually ?" asked Tom sarcastically.

"No ! Well, not unless you've got your head inside Blade Quest," Keri replied. "Then you do kind of disappear." Tom stared at Keri in shock. He had never thought about it like that. He supposed that he did get kind of immersed in the whole game experience. Maybe he disappeared himself. Keri must have noticed that Tom looked stunned. "Hey, brainbox ! Don't take me seriously ! Nobody takes me seriously !" she scoffed, before laughing. "I'm the airhead, remember ?" she teased.

"No you're not," said Tom quietly. "Okay, are you guys ready for an experiment ?" he asked quietly. "I think this might be ready. How about we try it out ?" he asked.

"Wow ! Will it work on us ?" asked Aneisha.

"No, I'm pretty sure it will only work on metal objects," said Tom.

"Like Moby ?" asked Keri.

"Exactly," said Tom.

Aneisha and Keri looked at one another. Keri shrugged. "Go on then. Let's give it a go," said Aneisha. The three of them took the next opportunity to disappear down to the base.

Frank was sitting working on something when they came in. He took off his magnifying lenses and blinked at them. "I thought you were all supposed to be taking a break," he said in surprise.

"Tom wants to test his invisibility circuit," explained Keri. "We wanted to see it, well, not see it, if you see what I mean," she stumbled.

"Er yes, I think so," said Frank, looking confused.

Tom had been wiring up his circuit into Moby's chest cavity. He was now holding a box in his hand. "I've set up this control box, so I can switch the circuit on and off," he explained. He activated Moby. "Hello Moby," said Tom.

Moby's head turned towards Tom. "Hello Tom," said Moby.

"I think I've fixed your invisibility circuit," Tom explained. "I'm going to test it. Are you ready ?" he asked.

"Fully charged and operational. Some Maintenance required," Moby responded.

"Hm, well, let's see if this works," Tom muttered. "And !" he said, flicking a switch on his box.

The robot seemed to slide out of existence. It made everyone feel strangely disorientated. "Urgh. That made me feel really sick !" complained Keri, blinking her eyes. "Well, he's disappeared all right !" she added.

"Moby, are you there ?" asked Tom.

"I am present," responded the robot.

"Brilliant ! It works Frank !" said Tom happily.

"Good work Tom," said Frank. "Oh and I think I may have solved the wonky leg problem," he said, scuttling off into a corner of the room. "Sit down Moby," instructed Frank as he returned carrying a show box. Tom flicked off the invisibility circuit and they all watched as Moby sat slowly on a chair. Frank opened the shoe box and pulled out a ladies' high heeled shoe. "I reckon three inches should just about do it," said Frank. "Size 10. Had a job finding a pair big enough," he muttered, as he forced the shoe onto Moby's foot. "There ! Try that Moby," said Frank, stepping back to give the robot some room.

Moby stood and made a few tentative steps. "That is satisfactory," intoned the robot.

"Its perfect Frank," said Aneisha. "He's completely level now."

Keri was staring at the shoe on the robot and then the shoe in the box. "Erm, Frank, where did you get those shoes ?" she asked.

"Where ? Oh, in town," said Frank, bobbing happily up and down on his heels.

"You bought them ?" asked Keri. "How, did that go exactly ?" she asked innocently.

Frank instantly blushed. "Ah, well, I explained that they were for a friend, who wanted to dress up," he said, running his finger round the collar of his shirt.

"And they bought it ?" asked Aneisha, struggling to hold back a grin.

"Well, no not really," admitted Frank, staring at his shoes.

Keri put her arm around Frank's shoulder. "It's Okay Frank. We won't tell a soul," she promised. "It's all for greater good isn't it ?" she added.

"Oh, I do hope so," said Frank forlornly.

Tom sent the robot for a test walk around the base. Keri and Aneisha couldn't help falling into fits of laughter at the sight of the robot with one high heeled shoe on. When Moby came to a halt in front of them Aneisha felt she needed to make amends. "You look lovely Moby !" she said kindly.

The robot looked at Aneisha for a couple of seconds before saying, "Thankyou, Aneisha."


	17. Chapter 17

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Sorry for the break. It was half term holiday here.**

_Tom sent the robot for a test walk around the base. Keri and Aneisha couldn't help falling into fits of laughter at the sight of the robot with one high heeled shoe on. When Moby came to a halt in front of them Aneisha felt she needed to make amends. "You look lovely Moby !" she said kindly._

_The robot looked at Aneisha for a couple of seconds before saying, "Thankyou, Aneisha."_

The next day, Dan walked into school, looking out for his friends. He was feeling much better after his break, but it had been pretty boring sitting around at home. His sister had been mad that he'd been given time off school when she was still having to go in. She had wanted to see Dan's bruises for herself, but Dan had refused to let her pull up his shirt to see. As a result, Sam had been convinced that there was nothing wrong with him and their Mum had struggled to keep the peace. "Would it hurt so much to let Sam see the bruises ? Just for a bit of peace and quiet ?" Dan's Mum had asked him plaintively.

"Would you make Sam show me her bruises ?" Dan had asked in annoyance.

"Well no, I suppose not," his Mum had admitted with a sigh. So the standoff at home had continued and Dan was now quite relieved to be walking in the school gates. It wasn't just embarrassment which made him hide his injuries. He didn't want Sam to see what his job sometimes did to him. She already knew too much about it after his kidnap by Moby. No way ! He had just called that Invisible Death robot 'Moby' ! Tom was starting to get to him.

"Hey !" shouted a familiar voice. Dan turned to see Tom trotting towards him with the biggest grin on his face. "Dan ! You're back !" called out Tom, puffing his way up to Dan. "Great news !" he announced.

"Mrs. King has defected to Cuba ?" replied Dan.

"Er, no," said Tom, looking confused. "I've made Moby invisible ! And Frank got high heels !"

Dan struggled to process both pieces of information. "Wait ! It's not here is it ?" he asked, looking all around him in fear.

"What ? No, no way ! I said I wouldn't bring him into the school didn't I ?" said Tom. "I promised !" he added, with his hands on his hips.

Dan relaxed a bit. "Oh yeah. Okay. Wait, did you say Frank got high heels ?" he asked, finally working through to the second thing Tom had said.

Tom giggled. "Yeah ! Well, he only wanted one for Moby's wonky leg, but I guess you can't buy one shoe can you ? Anyway, he told the people in the shop he had a friend who liked to dress up. Ha ! Can you imagine it ?" he burbled away.

Dan realised his mouth was hanging open, so he closed it. "Yeah. A hard sell," he agreed before grinning at the idea of Frank trying out high heeled shoes for the sake of Moby. Boy, that robot seemed to have grown on people while he was away.

"Hello stranger !" said another voice. Dan turned smiling to Keri and Aneisha beside her.

"Good to see you back," said Aneisha. "Tom's been working on Moby and Frank thinks he might be ready for an experimental run on our next assignment," she said. Her expression was upbeat and cheery, but Dan could see that it was an act. She was probably putting it on for Tom's sake.

"Yeah, that's great," said Dan, forcing a grin on to his face. Keri also made herself smile.

"We look like the Stepford Wives," said Keri, through gritted teeth. "Can we stop now ?" she asked.

The smiles instantly left their faces and they looked relieved. "You're still not 100% on this are you ?" asked Tom sadly.

"Well, to be honest, the thing still scares us silly," said Dan apologetically. He held up his hand to Tom's protest, "I know Tom. I'm sure you've done your absolute best to make him safe, and if it was anyone but you mate, I would not be agreeing to this at all." Dan looked at the others and raised his eyebrows. Aneisha and Keri nodded slightly. "We'll do it Tom, for you. We trust you and we know you'll do everything you can to keep us safe, Okay ?"

Tom looked at his friends and felt like a very small person, responsible for something very big. "I'll do my best," he whispered.

"You always do mate," said Dan, clapping him on the back. "You always do !" As he walked away he added, "Except when you're playing Blade Quest during a mission."

"Hey !" complained Tom, but gave up when the others started laughing.

It was lunch time when their pencils started to flash. "Typical !" moaned Tom, hurriedly shovelling pasta into his mouth. "Mm, hm hm mm mm mnooow," he mumbled. Dan had a bulging mouth full of chips and shrugged.

"Boys !" huffed Keri, before stuffing the remains of her sandwich into her mouth. "Mmmff mff mff !"

They were all still chewing when they arrived at the caretaker's cupboard. "I think we do a pretty good job of blending into the school community," commented Aneisha, pressing her thumb to the scanner. "Nobody would know we're professional spies."

"Mf mfff fmmum," agreed Keri, accidentally spitting out a little piece of bread from the side of her mouth. They had all finally stopped laughing by the time the lift doors opened on their base, but Tom was wiping tears from his eyes.

Frank looked up in concern. "Everything all right team ?" he asked. "Oh, and welcome back Dan," he added.

"You got something for us Frank ?" asked Dan.

"Oh, yes, you have a mission," said Frank. He waved to the large glass screen at the end of the room and they gathered round. "Another likely weapons store," he explained, pointing to an image of a factory complex.

"Wait, wasn't the last one supposed to be a weapons store ?" asked Aneisha.

"Yes, but you found no trace of weapons and when MI9 went back the next day the place was abandoned, but there were no traces of weapons or weapon materials," Frank explained. "It was definitely a KORPS installation, but not the one we're after," he added.

"What makes MI9 think this is the right one ?" asked Aneisha.

"This," said Frank, running a short video. The view switched to an area inside the complex viewed from above. "This footage was taken by an MI9 spy drone," explained Frank. They all watched as a van drew up and KORPS guards spilled out of the building. They opened up the van and started to carry out long narrow object. "Missiles," said Frank. "Notice how carefully they are treating them."

Just as Frank said, the KORPS personnel appeared to be treating the missiles very gently and they looked nervous handling them.

"So, this is it," said Dan. "When do we go ?" he asked.

"Now," said Frank. "Oh, and you are taking a new, er temporary, team member with you," he added nervously.

"Yeah, Moby, we know," said Keri.

Frank looked deflated. "Oh, Tom told you," he muttered.

They collected their gadgets, while Tom got Moby ready. "I'm coming in the van because I haven't got a very long range with the control device," he said to the others as he walked up with Moby by his side. Dan couldn't help smiling when he looked at the high heeled shoe on Moby's foot.

"Oh, wait, one extra," said Frank as they moved towards the lift doors. "The Spy Pods have been modified with extra alarm detection facilities. Hopefully you won't accidentally set off any sensors this time," he assured them.

"Thanks Frank," called out Dan as the lift doors closed in front of them.

Frank stared at the doors and frowned. He still couldn't work out how they had triggered any alarms on the previous mission. Maybe there really was a mole.


	18. Chapter 18

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Another mission. What could possibly go wrong ?**

_Frank stared at the doors and frowned. He still couldn't work out how they had triggered any alarms on the previous mission. Maybe there really was a mole. _

The MI9 driver parked the black van in the shadows of a building near their target. It was late November and the streets were already dark. "Right, I'll stay here," announced Tom, flipping his laptop open. "You're aiming for here," he said, pointing to a schematic of the building. "There's a fire escape ladder. You just have to shimmy up to the ladder and then you can climb to the roof. Once you're on the roof you can gain access to the air conditioning vents," he explained. "I'll be here on comms and managing Moby. Any questions ?" he asked.

"You won't tire yourself out will you ?" asked Dan drily.

"Nah ! Got biscuits !" Tom assured him, deaf to the sarcasm.

"Oh, thanks !" said Keri brightly, dipping her hand into Tom's open packet of biscuits. The others swiftly did the same before Tom was able to snatch back the packet.

As they clambered out of the van, Aneisha passed a biscuit to the driver, who grinned and stuck it in his mouth. "Good luck," he said in a muffled voice.

The group swiftly made their way to the fire escape ladder, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. In the silence of the late afternoon all they could hear was the soft patter of their feet and a weird squeaking noise. "What's that squeaking ?" asked Aneisha, looking round. "Are your shoes squeaking ?" she asked Dan. Dan did a little shuffle, which made no noise. He shook his head.

They looked at Keri. She pretended to tap dance. "Not me !" she said. Aneisha tested her own shoes which also made no noise. They all turned to the robot. "Moby ? Are you squeaking ?" asked Keri.

Moby stood in silence for a couple of seconds. "Test protocols do not indicate a fault," he announced finally.

"Walk up and down a bit," said Aneisha. Moby did as he was asked, walking a few paces up and down. Each time he placed his full weight on the foot with the shoe there was a faint squeaking noise. "It's your shoe !" said Aneisha. "You must be too heavy for it." Aneisha touched her ear. "Tom, Moby's shoe squeaks. What shall we do ?" she asked.

"Is it really loud ?" asked Tom. "I can't hear it over the comms."

"It's not that bad," said Keri. They looked at each other. "Oh, let's get on with it !" she added. "Try not to squeak too much," she said to Moby.

They turned back to the ladder. Dan swung a rope up and hooked on to the platform at the bottom of the escape stairs. He hauled himself up the rope, climbed on to the platform, unhooked the ladder and lowered it to the ground. The others climbed up the ladder while he recoiled his rope and stowed it in his backpack. Once all four of them were on the platform, the metal groaned. Aneisha grabbed the hand rail in fright. "There are too many of us on here !" she gasped.

Dan frowned. "That's not right. It should be able to take loads of people. It's the fire escape," he said. He looked over the edge at the ladder. "Look !" he said, pointing to the ladder. Each of the metal rungs had bent slightly.

Keri and Aneisha looked at each other in worry. "Well, I might have put a couple of pounds on," said Keri, biting her lip.

"Oh come off it !" scoffed Dan. "It wasn't any of us. It had to be Moby !" he said. "Tom ! How heavy is Moby ?" he asked.

"Er, not sure," said Tom hesitantly. "I never weighed him."

"Moby, do you know how heavy you are ?" asked Aneisha.

"I weigh 185 kilogrammes," Moby responded.

"Wow !" said Tom. "I didn't realise he was that heavy. You guys need to spread out a bit," he suggested.

"No kidding !" said Dan. "Moby, we'll go up first. You come up on your own Okay ?"

"Understood," confirmed Moby. Keri, Aneisha and Dan set off up the metal fire escape. Once they had reached the top, Moby followed them. He was near the top, when he staggered and stopped moving.

"Oh, what now ?" demanded Dan, glancing down at the robot. He dashed back down the stairs to the robot. "What's the matter ?" Dan asked Moby.

"I cannot move my leg," reported the robot. Dan pointed a torch at the robot's foot. "Your shoe is stuck in the grill," he said. "Honestly !" he huffed, before bending down and yanking at the heel of the robot's shoe. After several tugs and grunts, the heel came loose, making Dan stagger backwards. He glanced nervously at the bolts fixing the staircase to the wall as the structure groaned and moved slightly. When he pointed his torch at the bolts he could see brick dust falling. "Come on. Try not to get stuck again. Walk on your toes," he suggested.

"I do not have toes," said the robot.

"Just, just, do your best," said Dan waving his hands to either side.

Once the two had joined the girls at the top, Tom's voice came over the comms. "You might want to hurry it up a bit guys," he said. "You've taken over half an hour to get to the roof."

"Yeah, and why is that Tom ?" asked Dan, sounding annoyed.

"Oh, yeah, well, just so you know," said Tom defensively.

They found the air conditioning vents quickly and opened them up. Dan tied a rope securely to a pillar and threw the end down the vent. "Right, Moby last Okay ?" he said to the others. After Keri and Aneisha nodded, Moby also nodded. Dan swung over the edge and lowered himself down the rope. "Okay, next !" he said softly into his headset. Keri and Aneisha swiftly followed. "Your turn Moby," said Dan. He looked at the girls and crossed his fingers. They smiled at him. They watched as Moby carefully lowered himself down the rope, making little noise. "Good effort Moby !" said Dan in relief as the robot landed gently on the floor of the tunnel where they were stooping. "Uh oh !" he said as he watched the metal floor bending under the weight of the robot. All three of them cringed as the robot suddenly plummeted out of view, with a screeching of metal as it crashed through the floor and disappeared.

"Do you think anyone will have heard that ?" asked Keri.

There was a sound of distant shouting. Dan leaned his head over the edge of the hole. "Moby ! Disappear !" he hissed to the robot. "Come on !" he hissed to Keri and Aneisha. "We need to get out of here fast !" The all started running as quietly as they could bent over in the tunnel.

They took several random turns before Aneisha tapped her earpiece. "Tom ! Some help would be appreciated !" she whispered.

"Oh, sorry. I was busy making Moby invisible," came Tom's voice in their earpieces. "Erm, next left and then straight on for a bit," he instructed. "Next right !" Tom instructed. They dashed to the right and came to a large grill.

"Dead end !" hissed Dan.

"I know. You should be able to get access to a large room from there," said Tom.

Keri shone her torch through the grill. "Can't see anyone," she reported. Dan and Aneisha pulled out screwdrivers and started to take the grill down. They pulled it off and all shone their torches out into an empty, dark room. Dan shone his torch to the floor.

"Not too far," Dan reported. He swung over the edge and dropped to the floor. "Come on !" he called up softly. Keri followed him swiftly, landing silently on all fours. "Nicely done," Dan said. Keri smiled at him in the dark. "It's Okay Aneisha. We'll help you," Dan promised. Aneisha landed a little less neatly than the other two. "Alright ?" Dan asked her.

"Yeah, I'm Okay" Aneisha replied. "Where are we ?" she asked. They spread out, searching the walls for a light switch. Keri found one and flicked it on. "Oh boy !" said Aneisha in shock as they looked out across what was a large storage room. Laid out in front of them was row after row of stands, filled with rockets. "Tom, we found them," said Aneisha.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Invisible helper.**

_Aneisha landed a little less neatly than the other two. "Alright ?" Dan asked her._

"_Yeah, I'm Okay" Aneisha replied. "Where are we ?" she asked. They spread out, searching the walls for a light switch. Keri found one and flicked it on. "Oh boy !" said Aneisha in shock as they looked out across what was a large storage room. Laid out in front of them was row after row of stands, filled with rockets. "Tom, we found them," said Aneisha._

"What ?" asked Tom, sounding distracted.

"The secret biscuit store !" said Keri. "What do you think ? The rockets dummy !"

"Oh, yeah, good," said Tom. "You'd better try and get out," he added.

"Wow ! Why didn't we think of that ?" said Keri, annoyed.

"Look, I'm getting Moby to create a distraction," said Tom. "It's complicated, but with a bit of luck it should draw the KORPS agents away from where you are. Try to make your way towards the back of the building."

"Oh, right, thanks," said Keri, feeling guilty now that she'd had a go at Tom when he was trying to help them.

"Shall we split up ?" asked Dan.

"No way !" Keri almost shouted. "Look what happened last time ! We're sticking together this time," she added, more quietly, glancing at Aneisha.

Aneisha smiled back in sympathy. "I'd rather we stick together too," she said.

"Okay, that's fine by me," said Dan. He looked at his Spy Pod. "That way I think," he said, pointing to the far end of the room.

"Guys, stay out of the air conditioning ducts," Tom instructed them. "KORPS are up there."

"Thanks for the heads up Tom," said Dan. "We'll stick to the corridors." They found a door with an old-fashioned key lock.

"A job for me I think," said Aneisha, pulling a pin out of her hair. She fiddled with the lock for a few seconds and the lock clicked. She turned the handle slowly and Dan pushed his Spy Pod out of the door.

"It's clear," announced Dan. They all slipped out of the rocket store, shut the door behind them and set off down the corridor. They heard distant explosions. Their luck held for several minutes until they rounded a corner and ran smack into three KORPS guards running in the opposite direction. There was a series of grunts and shouts from both groups as they collided heavily. Dan automatically kicked the guard he had crashed into, knocking him to the floor. Keri elbowed hers in the head and knocked him out clean. Aneisha was a fraction of a second too slow and her opponent was able to grab hold of her arm. Keri walloped him, letting him fall to the floor. Once Dan knocked out his guard, there was a small mound of unconscious guards in the middle of the corridor.

"Shall we hide them ?" asked Keri.

"Oh, let's just run for it," said Dan. "They know we're here already."

The three set off at a run again, working their way through the corridors to the back of the building. They heard a shout not far behind them, "He's down this way !" yelled a man.

"Damn ! They've worked out where we are !" said Dan. They were all getting out of breath now, after running flat out for so long. They ran round another corner and barely had time to notice the group of KORPS guards standing with stun sticks, before they were in amongst them. Keri was knocked out first, with a bolt of blue electricity. She was followed shortly by Dan and Aneisha. Within a second or two, all three agents lay semi-conscious on the floor.

Dan woke groggily with a splitting headache. He was propped up against a wall, with his hands tied behind his back. Aneisha and Keri were propped up the same way on either side of him. They started to move and groan. "What ? Where ?" stammered Keri, looking around her in fright. Their equipment was piled up in a heap on the other side of the room.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here ?" asked a cold, familiar voice. The Crime Minister strode up in front of them. "If it isn't K3R1 ! And your little friends. Long time no see," said the Crime Minister smarmily. Suddenly she grabbed hold of Keri's chin. "We've been waiting for you. The new Scientist General has drawn up plans for you my dear," she snarled. "So good of you to drop in," she said, smiling nastily at Dan and Aneisha.

Dan shifted slightly, trying to get some feeling back into his left leg. It was still feeling numb. "You Okay ?" he said quietly to the other two.

"Yeah, Okay," the two girls whispered back.

"Silence !" screamed the Crime Minister. "You will speak when I ask you a question ! Perhaps you need a little reminder," she hissed, snapping her fingers at one of the guards holding the stun sticks. The man walked menacingly up towards Dan.

Dan gulped and shrank back against the wall. He heard a faint, regular, squeaking noise. What was that ? Then he realised what it was and smiled up at the man holding the stun stick near his face.

"What are you smiling at ?" demanded the man.

"Surprise !" said Keri. Without warning the man flipped up into the air and flew into the wall beside them. His stun stick jabbed into his own groin and he screamed before falling unconscious to the floor.

Dan winced, in spite of his situation. "Ouch !" muttered Aneisha.

Keri cackled, "Shot himself in the foot !" she laughed.

"That wasn't his foot," said Dan.

"What is going on here ?" yelled the Crime Minister in fury. One after another her shocked and confused KORPS guards started flying around the room, crashing into one another and dropping unconscious to the floor. After only a minute, the Crime Minister stood alone in the middle of a room piled with unconscious or groaning, injured guards.

"Thanks Moby !" called out Dan. There was a strange zizzing noise and Moby appeared in the middle of the room.

"You are welcome," said the robot.

"What ? Why ! The Invisible Death ! Robot, kill those agents !" shouted the Crime Minister, pointing at the MI High team.

"I obey Tom," said Moby. "Protect MI9 agents," he added, walking squeakily towards the Crime Minister.

The Crime Minister looked shocked and started to back off. "Wait, what is that ? That on your foot !" she said in horror. "A shoe ! You are wearing a shoe !"

"Yes I am wearing a shoe. Do you like it ?" asked Moby.

The Crime Minister's mouth opened and closed but made no sound. "Noooooooo !" she screamed, before running away.

"She did not like the shoe," said Moby.

Dan smirked. "Moby, I swear you are starting to get a sense of humour," he said.

Moby stood in silence for a few seconds. "Thankyou," he said, finally.

"Moby, could you cut these ropes please ?" asked Aneisha.

The robot walked to them and carefully cut the ropes from each agent. Keri and Aneisha rushed over to the heap of equipment to retrieve their earpieces and other things. "Tom ! Moby saved us !" Aneisha squealed into her microphone.

"I know. He was good wasn't he ?" asked Tom's delighted voice.

"Hey Dan, what do you think ?" asked Keri, turning to look for him. Dan was crawling across the floor, dragging one leg behind him. "Dan ! Are you Okay ?" asked Keri.

Dan looked up at her in embarrassment. "I've got a rubber leg. I'm fine, it's just that I can't walk properly yet," he assured her. Keri brought Dan his comms equipment. "What about my backpack ?" asked Dan.

"You can't even stand up !" Keri pointed out. "Moby, can you carry Dan please ?" she asked.

"Wait, wait, no way !" Dan protested. "I've done that once before. It hurts !" he complained.

"Oh, well, what about a piggy-back ?" suggested Keri.

Moby looked at Keri. "Explain piggy-back. Please," said Moby.

"Hey Neish," said Keri, waving Aneisha over. "Hop on !" Aneisha jumped on to Keri's back and Keri wrapped her arms around Aneisha's legs. "Piggy-back !" she told Moby.

"Understood," said Moby. He turned to Dan. "Hop on !" he said.

"With one working leg, that's pretty much all I can do," said Dan ruefully. Keri helped him to stand up and she and Aneisha managed to load Dan on to Moby's back. "This isn't too bad," Dan admitted. His arms were wrapped tightly around the robot's neck although it wasn't really necessary. The robot had a tight grip on both of his legs. "Thanks Moby," he added.

"You are welcome," said the robot.

When they reached their van, Tom was waiting outside, smiling happily. Dan got down from Moby's back and managed to stagger into the van. The feeling was starting to come back into his leg. Once they were all on board and heading home, Tom couldn't contain himself any longer. "Well ?" asked Tom. "How did Moby do ?" he asked, bouncing up and down in his seat.

Aneisha grinned at him. "Moby did very well Tom. Well done Moby," she said, turning to the robot.

"Yeah, thanks for saving us," said Dan.

"Good work," agreed Keri.

"Thankyou," said the robot.


	20. Chapter 20

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Mental arithmetic.**

"_Well ?" asked Tom. "How did Moby do ?" he asked, bouncing up and down in his seat._

_Aneisha grinned at him. "Moby did very well Tom. Well done Moby," she said, turning to the robot._

"_Yeah, thanks for saving us," said Dan._

"_Good work," agreed Keri._

"_Thankyou," said the robot. _

When the team returned to base, Frank was talking on the phone. "What every single one ?" he was saying in disbelief. "A few ! Really ? How many exactly ? Oh, wait, they're back," he said, turning to the team. "Team, how many rockets do you think were in that store room ?" he asked.

Keri, Dan and Aneisha looked at one another and shrugged. "They were piled up in sixes," said Dan.

"I think there were about 15 or sixteen piles in each row," added Keri.

"I'm not sure how many rows there were," said Aneisha doubtfully. "The room wasn't square, so there were more rows. How about 20 rows ?" she suggested. The other two nodded.

Frank screwed up his face. "So that would be about …."

"One thousand eight hundred," interrupted Tom, fiddling with his computer.

"One thousand eight hundred," Frank said into his phone. "And there are about twenty left ?" he said in disbelief. "How could we lose so many ?" There was a long pause while someone on the other end of the phone was apparently explaining the situation. Finally Frank sighed and closed the call. "KORPS managed to clear out nearly all of the rockets," he said heavily.

"The racks might not all have been full," pointed out Dan. "We didn't check, and we are kind of guessing on the quantity," he added.

"It looked pretty full to me," said Keri. Dan sighed and shrugged. "It wasn't a complete waste of time was it Frank ?" asked Keri, sounding fed up.

"No of course it wasn't. I just wish MI9 had got off the ground a little quicker," said Frank, looking annoyed. "They cottoned on to you pretty quickly again," he said thoughtfully.

"Well, there was the problem of the overweight robot," pointed out Dan, jerking his thumb at Moby.

"He did help to create a diversion !" Tom jumped in defensively.

Aneisha lifted her hand. "Tom, it's not Moby's fault that he was too heavy for the air-conditioning ducts, and we did appreciate the help. They did get on to us pretty quickly though, didn't they ?" she said, screwing her face up in puzzlement. "They worked out where in the building we were heading. They couldn't have known how many of us there were. It could have just been Moby for all they knew," she complained.

"Yeah, now you mention it, that was a bit weird," agreed Dan. "That guy shouted out what direction we were heading in didn't he ?" he said.

"Typical sexist pig though !" huffed Keri, folding her arms angrily.

"What do you mean ?" asked Dan, puzzled.

"Don't you remember ?" asked Keri, tutting. "He shouted out 'He's down this way' didn't he ? As if you can't be a spy and a girl !" she complained.

"Oh yeah. I didn't notice, sorry," said Dan. "I'm just glad you're on my side," he said, grinning at Keri. Keri couldn't help but smile back. He had such an infectious smile ! Also, it was a pretty gorgeous one, if she was honest about it.

Tom and Aneisha rolled their eyes as Dan and Keri stood smiling at each other for a little too long.

Frank cleared his throat. "Yes, well KORPS have never been known for their politically correct views. I'm glad you're all back safely. You can go home now," he said, waving his hand at them. "I expect you will have another mission as soon as MI9 have located those missiles again," he added.

"Is it Okay if I stay and do a bit of work on Moby ?" asked Tom.

"Yes, that will be fine Tom. Would you like a hand ?" asked Frank.

Tom hesitated. "Actually, that would be pretty handy Frank, thanks," he said. He and Frank immediately went into a huddle, looking at data which Tom had collected about Moby's performance.

The others walked out of the room. "See you tomorrow Moby !" called out Dan, waving his hand.

Moby raised one hand and moved it up from side to side, as if slowly washing a window. "Goodbye Dan, Keri and Aneisha," said Moby.

"Did I just say goodbye to a robot ?" asked Dan when all three got out of the lift.

"Yep. You're going mental," said Keri.

"Thanks !" said Dan, sarcastically. "Do you ache ?" he asked, rubbing his hip.

"Absolutely all over !" said Aneisha with a groan. "I'm having a bath when I get home."

"Yeah, me too," agreed Keri.

The following day, the team all turned up at school as usual. Mr Flatley took registration, and then started peering at a piece of paper. "Ah, it appears that some of you have been called up for work experience today, with the police, no less. Well this is certainly an honour for you," he said, smiling vaguely at everyone.

"Who exactly has been called up ?" asked Preston finally.

"Oh, didn't I say. Erm, Keri Summers, Aneisha Jones, Thomas Tupper and Daniel Morgan," said Mr. Flatley. "Mr. London will be taking you. You'd better get going. Make sure you don't get arrested won't you, ha, ha," he laughed lamely.

The team put on fixed smiles and left the room, dashing for base. "Good, you got my message then," said Frank, turning from the computer screen. "As I predicted, you've got another mission to confirm the location of those missiles. We're getting quicker at tracking them down now. MI9 got on to their movement pretty quickly this time around. We want you to search here," he said, turning to a satellite image on the big screen. It showed what looked like an old air base, surrounded by trees.

Dan frowned. "That looks kind of like the place where KORPS were hunting me," he said uneasily.

"Oh, well, that's possible, but unlikely," Frank tried to reassure him. "There are hundreds of old World War Two air bases dotted all over the country," he said. "This could be any one of them."

"So what do we do ?" asked Aneisha.

"I want you to get in and out without being spotted," said Frank. "For this purpose, we are going to use Moby again. He will be invisible and will operate ahead of the main team, checking that the coast is clear. If necessary, he will create a diversion to allow you to maintain your cover. Any questions ?" he asked.

Keri raised her hand. "Does his shoe still squeak ?" she asked.

Frank looked at Tom in bafflement. "Oh, yeah, I should really have mentioned that," said Tom guiltily. "His shoe does kind of squeak a bit," he said. "He's invisible, but kind of audible," he added with a hopeful smile.

Keri looked at Dan and Aneisha and sighed theatrically. "I think that's a yes guys," she said.


	21. Chapter 21

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Keep on looking.**

**Sorry it's been a while. There's been stuff. Thanks for the reviews people have bothered to leave. It's always great if you can take the time.**

_Keri raised her hand. "Does his shoe still squeak ?" she asked._

_Frank looked at Tom in bafflement. "Oh, yeah, I should really have mentioned that," said Tom guiltily. "His shoe does kind of squeak a bit," he said. "He's invisible, but kind of audible," he added with a hopeful smile._

_Keri looked at Dan and Aneisha and sighed theatrically. "I think that's a yes guys," she said._

An hour and a half later, the three spies crouched in some bushes looking out onto the abandoned airfield. "Do you think this is the same place that KORPS chased you ?" whispered Aneisha.

Dan screwed up his face. "Not sure. It looks like it, but Frank seemed to think these places all look pretty much the same," he whispered back.

"Did you see anything interesting ?" whispered Keri.

"Not really. I was just running … you know," Dan trailed off. Seeing that he wasn't comfortable talking about it, the two girls glanced at one another and stopped asking him questions.

"Okay, Moby's in place," said Tom's voice over their headsets.

"Where ?" hissed Aneisha.

"By the main building, duh !" said Tom sarcastically.

"Tom, we can't see him, remember ? Duh !" hissed Dan.

"Oh yeah. Forgot," Tom admitted. "Erm, have a look on your Spy Pods. I've got his position on there," said Tom.

Dan pulled out his Spy Pod and the two girls huddled round his shoulders to see. Feeling the two warm bodies pressing against him Dan glanced nervously at Keri. "Don't you two have your own Spy Pods ?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just like the smell of your shampoo," said Keri cheerily.

"Mmm, apples," said Aneisha dreamily.

Dan glanced rapidly between the two girls. He knew he was being teased, but decided not to rise to the bait. He sighed and opened up his Spy Pod screen. Sure enough a green dot showed at the corner of the large building ahead of them.

"Moby says the coast is clear," reported Tom. "I'm not picking up any activity in your area, so you should be good to go."

Stuffing his Spy Pod inside his jacket, Dan stood, followed immediately by Keri and Aneisha. The three ran quietly across the cracked concrete yard to the corner of the building. Keri arrived first and bumped into an object. "Sorry Keri," said a robotic voice.

"Oh, Moby. Didn't see you there," said Keri, looking flustered and relieved at the same time.

"I am invisible," said Moby.

"Wish I was," muttered Dan.

"Right guys, I'm going to send Moby to check out a couple of the buildings and let you know if they're safe to enter," said Tom.

"Can't we just look ourselves ?" asked Keri impatiently.

"Frank's really keen that you don't get caught this time," said Tom. "If KORPS get tipped off again, they'll just move the weapons horde before MI9 can get their hands on it," he explained.

"Okay, fair point," muttered Keri. She covered her microphone and muttered, "I hate it when he's right !"

Dan was staring intently across the large yard in front of them. He had listened to the squeaky footsteps of Moby getting steadily quieter. Now he couldn't hear them.

"Okay, the building you're standing outside looks clear. Moby hasn't found anything," reported Tom.

"So why are we going to have a look ?" asked Dan.

"Well," said Tom, before going silent. "Erm."

"I think Tom's trying to say that we're cleverer than a robot," said Aneisha.

"Oh, yes, that," agreed Tom.

Dan pulled out his Spy Pod to check Moby's location. "We'll try not to run into him this time shall we ?" he asked the others.

The building was deserted. They checked room after room and apart from a few pieces of broken furniture and empty, rusting filing cabinets they found nothing. "Empty," reported Keri finally.

"Okay, next building," said Tom.

They carried out the same search of the next building and the next. After an hour and a half of fruitless searches, the team were getting fed up. "Tom, there's nothing here," sighed Keri. "Is there any point in more searching ?" she demanded.

"One more," said Tom. "Wait, Moby's picking something up," he said. "There's an energy reading," said Tom.

Dan, Aneisha and Keri sighed and headed for Moby's location. They entered another seemingly empty room. "Moby ?" said Aneisha quietly.

"I am here," said Moby's voice. He suddenly appeared in front of them and pointed to the wall in front of him. "There is an energy signature there," he said.

Aneisha scanned the wall with her Spy Pod. "Hm, see what you mean," she said. "Weird." The other two leaned over her shoulder to see.

Dan walked over to the wall, and poked it. His whole hand disappeared up to his wrist and he snatched it back in fright.

"Ace ! Holographic projection !" came Tom's ecstatic voice over their headsets. "You should be able to walk through it," he added.

Dan, Aneisha and Keri looked at one another. "After you," said Keri, waving her hand to Moby.

Moby buzzed out of view again and they heard his squeaky steps walk across the floor and continue out of sight. "Moby !" whispered Aneisha. "Are you through ?" she asked.

"Moby is approximately 10 metres in front of you," reported Tom. "He says the area is empty."

Taking a deep breath, Dan walked towards the brick wall. His vision blurred and twisted before he found himself standing in another room, with concrete steps disappearing down in front of him. "I'm through. It's Okay," he said. Aneisha and Keri appeared beside him.

"Eugh ! Sicky !" complained Keri, rubbing her eyes. "Down there I guess," she said, pointing down the stairs. They heard a scraping of metal and squeaky steps heading on down the stairs. "Follow that robot !" said Keri, smiling.

After what felt like an hour of climbing down stairs, the three agents arrived at a large metal door. It was slightly open and swinging in the slightest breeze. After nervous glances, Dan reached out and slowly pulled open the door. They all breathed a sigh of relief to be faced with a long empty corridor, lined with doors. Entering the corridor, Keri tried the first door and it opened. Keri shone her torch into the dark room and ran it over banks of missile racks. "Tom, they're here," whispered Keri. "The missiles," she added. They moved on to the other doors, opening one after another. Every room was filled with racks of missiles. There was a door at the end of the corridor. "Tom, where's Moby ?" asked Keri.

"I'm not sure," said Tom, sounding worried. "He just faded off my screen. He's either too deep underground for my system to penetrate, or he's in a shielded area now."

"He'll be alright won't he ?" asked Dan.

"Um, well, it also means I can't communicate with him," said Tom, sounding uncomfortable. "I'm not controlling him now. He's on his own," he said. "Sorry guys !" he almost whispered.

"Well, it's not the end of the world Tom," said Keri. "He's been really good recently. Would you like us to find him for you ?" she asked.

"Please," said Tom. "Don't take any risks though," he added. "Oh, no !" he murmured.

"Oh no what ?" asked Dan tensely.

"You've got company," said Tom. "A series of black vans have just passed my position. They're pulling into the air base now. You need to get out of there."

Dan, Aneisha and Keri looked at one another. "We don't have time to get back up all those stairs !" said Aneisha, scared.


	22. Chapter 22

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. More running.**

"_You've got company," said Tom. "A series of black vans have just passed my position. They're pulling into the air base now. You need to get out of there."_

_Dan, Aneisha and Keri looked at one another. "We don't have time to get back up all those stairs !" said Aneisha, scared. _

"Don't worry, we'll find another way out. You wouldn't build this place with only one narrow entrance like that. They'd have to have a fire escape wouldn't they ?" said Keri.

Dan and Aneisha looked at Keri in some surprise. "Wow ! That's the most intelligent thing I've heard you say today !" said Dan, but the grin on his face took the sting out of the comment.

"Watch it you !" said Keri, punching him in the shoulder, but smiling in spite of herself.

"Come on ! There's only one option," said Aneisha, pointing to the door at the end of the corridor.

They dashed through. "Tom, some help would be good," said Dan through gritted teeth.

"Dan, I'm sorry mate, but you're all off my screen now. You must have gone the same way as Moby," said Tom. He sounded stressed and his voice was starting to break up.

"Tom, you're breaking up," said Aneisha.

"Try …... find another route …... of there," came the fractured message from Tom. Then there was nothing but hiss over the comms. The three agents looked at one another tensely.

"Moby ? You here ?" called out Keri softly. There was no reply.

"Come on ! We might as well keep moving," said Dan. They set off at a jog, opening doors and running down corridors, but didn't find any stairs they could climb back to the surface. After opening what felt like the hundredth door with nothing but an empty room or corridor behind it, Dan slammed the door shut. "Damn ! This place is just an empty maze !" he shouted in frustration.

There was a sound of shouting from not too far away. "Hell !" whispered Dan. "Sorry !"

"Never mind ! We need to move !" hissed Keri. She led them down the nearest corridor and they found themselves at a junction of two different corridors. "Which way ?" said Keri tensely.

There was no obvious different between the two corridors. They heard more shouting. "He's through here, but the signal's breaking up. Must be the shielding on these buildings," called out a voice.

Keri looked to Dan in fright. Dan looked puzzled which surprised her. "What is it Dan ?" asked Keri, curious in spite of her fear.

"He said 'he' again," said Dan. "It's me !"

"What do you mean ?" asked Aneisha.

"They're following me. They must have put a tracker on me !" said Dan urgently. "That's what that hunt was all about ! They were testing their tracker. Guys, we need to split up !" he insisted.

"No way ! We'll lose you !" said Keri, still shocked by what Dan had just worked out.

"If we stay together we could all get caught. If we split up, at least you two can get away," said Dan. "We have to split up."

Aneisha sighed. "He's right Keri. We need to split up," she said.

"No !" said Keri. She looked tearful. "I'm not leaving you here so KORPS can just hunt you down again !" she said.

"You've got to get out too !" pointed out Dan. "Neish, you have to do this. Please take Keri," Dan begged her.

Aneisha nodded. "Come on Keri. We need to hurry or there's no point. Once we're out, KORPS are trapped and MI9 can get Dan out." There were shouts from closer by. "Go !" hissed Aneisha, and grabbing Keri's hand, started to run down the right hand corridor. Dan instantly set off down the left hand corridor. Keri managed one glance back over her shoulder to see Dan's legs disappear around a corner. Then the two girls were on their own.

For once their luck was in. After trying only a few doors, they finally found one which opened on to a staircase. "Yes, a way out of here !" hissed Aneisha. The two girls dashed in and started running up the concrete stairs. The running gradually slowed and finally the two agents were walking and panting their way up the stairs. "How ….. many …... do you ….. think …... there are ?" panted Aneisha.

"Neish !" squealed a voice in her ear. "I'm picking you up again !" said Tom's ecstatic voice. "Frank's here," he added more quietly. "He's going to meet you at the top. I assume you found some stairs," he said.

"Yeah !" panted Aneisha. "See you soon. I really hope so anyway," she added breathlessly. She heard a loud bang above their heads and daylight poured down the stairwell.

"Aneisha ! Keri ! Dan !" called out Frank. He grinned as the two girls ran into his arms at the top of the stairs. Then he looked concerned. "Dan ?" he asked. Aneisha shook her head and Keri fought back tears.

"We had to split up. Dan worked out that KORPS had put a tracker on him. They've been following him the whole time," explained Aneisha.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Of course ! Why didn't I realise ?" he hissed in frustration. "Look, let's get you somewhere safe and then we can work on getting Dan out. How big is it down there ?" he asked.

"Massive !" wailed Keri, now unable to stop the tears which were pouring down her face.

========= oooo =========

Dan ran as fast as he could to get away from the two girls. He wasn't wasting time looking for an escape route. He just needed to put as much distance between himself and the others as possible. He was kicking himself mentally for not realising what was happening before. It was no wonder KORPS were on to them as soon as they got into a KORPS base ! He was leading them there. Nervously he wondered where they'd put the tracker. Would MI9 be able to get it out ? Dan gulped. He didn't want to think about that. Maybe he'd better think about getting out of here now. He'd been running for ten minutes.

Dan slowed to a halt and looked around him. He was in yet another corridor with yet another set of doors. Sighing he started opening doors. One door was swinging open. Nervously he looked into the dark room and stepped inside. Just as he did he heard footsteps racing up the corridor outside. "The signal's still weak, but he's definitely nearby now !" called out a voice. Dan looked around for cover. There wasn't any. He switched of his torch and pressed himself against the wall behind the door.

A powerful flashlight shone through the door and swept a curve across the room. Dan's heart skipped a beat. Nobody looked behind the door. The light swept back and then turned and left. As it swung around the light caught the opposite corner of the room and Dan noticed something odd. There was a long shadow cast against the wall, just briefly. It was a long, sort of robot shaped shadow. Dan smiled. "Moby !" whispered Dan. "Are you there ?" he asked.

"I am here Dan," said Moby. "I have lost communication with Tom. I require instructions," he said. "Battery power at 30%," he added.

"How long have you got ?" asked Dan.

"Visible approximately 50 minutes, invisible approximately 30 minutes," said Moby.

"Okay, we need to get out of here," said Dan, thinking rapidly. "Can I hide behind you ?" he asked.


	23. Chapter 23

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Narrow escapes and and unexpected loss.**

"_I am here Dan," said Moby. "I have lost communication with Tom. I require instructions," he said. "Battery power at 30%," he added._

"_How long have you got ?" asked Dan._

"_Visible approximately 50 minutes, invisible approximately 30 minutes," said Moby._

"_Okay, we need to get out of here," said Dan, thinking rapidly. "Can I hide behind you ?" he asked._

"I believe it will be possible," said Moby.

Dan ran over and stood directly behind Moby, just as all the lights came on. "Just made it," Dan whispered.

"What have you made ?" asked Moby.

"What ? No, I mean, I got behind you just in time," explained Dan. He heard the same KORPS agents approaching the room again from outside in the corridor.

"We need to stop talking or we will get caught," Dan whispered. There was no reply from Moby, so he assumed the robot had understood.

"I told you, we looked in here," said one of the KORPS agents.

"Well, check again !" said the other agent in a bad tempered voice. The two men walked into the room and Dan held his breath. He glanced over his shoulder to see if they were leaving a shadow. There was a faint body shaped shadow on the floor. Dan hoped the two KORPS agents wouldn't notice.

The first KORPS agent held out his device again. "I'm picking up something. It's like he's in the room !" he complained. Dan screwed his eyes shut and tried to control his beating heart. He had to breathe. As quietly as he could, he took a deep breath. How was he going to get out of here ? If he could get Moby to move towards the door, he might be able to hide behind him all of the way out. It had to be worth a try. What did he have to lose ? He took hold of the robot's waist and pushed him towards the door. Nothing happened. The robot didn't budge. Moby was too heavy and he probably didn't have any sensors where Dan was pushing. Dan felt like an idiot.

The two agents were now discussing the readout on the device. Dan muttered to Moby, "Keep facing the two agents and walk sideways towards the door."

The two men stopped talking and the head of one of them shot up. "Did you hear that ?" he asked.

"What ?" asked the other agent.

"Thought I heard a voice," said the first agent. They both stood listening.

Dan felt Moby shifting his weight, stepping to the side. Dan pressed himself up behind the the robot and tried to shadow his actions, keeping his legs and body behind Moby's legs and body all the time. The robot's shoe squeaked gently.

"You've got a squeaky shoe," said the angry KORPS agent.

"No I don't. It must be yours," complained the other agent. He shot a look back down at the device in his hand. "Wait, something's moved," he said, frowning. "It's shifted to the left !" he said in confusion.

Dan realised that Moby was moving in a straight line and he risked being exposed to the KORPS agents if Moby didn't turn round. "Right !" he muttered to the robot.

"No, left I said !" snapped the KORPS agent.

"Keep your hair on !" complained the first agent.

"Well, I said left !" snapped the agent with the device.

"Yeah, I heard you. Left ! What about it ?" asked the other agent.

"You said 'right'," snapped the other man.

"No I didn't !" complained the other man.

Dan tried to keep breathing as he and Moby edged their way towards the door. He wanted to tell the robot to speed up, but didn't dare speak and couldn't think of any other way to get the message across. They were now approaching the door. There was a chance they were actually going to make it. He needed the robot to walk backwards.

"Look, it's moved again," said the first agent, waving the device at the other man.

"Backwards," Dan muttered to Moby. The two started backing towards the door, with Dan trying to keep his balance as Moby pushed him backwards.

"No, it's gone to the left again," said the agent with the device.

"I didn't say anything !" complained the other agent.

"Yes you did !" shouted the first agent.

"Did not !" yelled the other agent. He grabbed the other man by the front of his jacket. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but you are really getting on my nerves now !" he shouted.

"Me ? You're the one who keeps on saying the opposite thing to what I said and walking around in your squeaky shoe !" shouted the agent with the device.

"I'm not moving !" yelled the other agent. The two men froze, staring into one another's faces.

"No, you're not are you ?" said the agent with the tracking device. They both stared at the device and then swivelled to face the door.

Moby was still walking backwards through the door and Dan realised he was going to be squashed against the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, but he didn't dare tell the robot to stop.

The two men started stalking towards the door. Dan could hear them coming. "What's that ?" asked one of the men. Dan couldn't see from behind Moby, but the KORPS agent was pointing at a moving shadow on the floor of the corridor.

Dan collided with the wall. Unable to move out of the way, the whole weight of the robot pressed against him and he couldn't help making a small wheezing noise as the air was squashed out of his lungs. To his horror the robot kept on moving and he felt the pressure increase on his rib cage. "Moby ! Stop !" he managed to wheeze before he had no breath left. The robot stopped, but he was still unable to breathe.

The two KORPS agents ran forward, arms outstretched. The first slammed into Moby and bounced off on to his back on the floor. The second waved his arms wildly, trying to grab hold of something. Suddenly his wrist was seized, painfully in a tight grip. "Ow !" yelled the agent. "Get it off !" he shouted. "Aaargh !" he screamed as he flew into the air and slammed into the wall opposite. He dropped to the floor unconscious.

The other agent looked across in horror. "No !" he gasped, backing away hurriedly. Moby moved forward and Dan slumped to the floor, gasping for breath. "What ?" said the stunned KORPS agent. In his shock, he made the major mistake of stopping to stare at Dan. Before he could think, he was picked up off the floor by the front of his jacket and he too was flung into the wall, falling in a heap on the floor. Dan made it to his hands and knees and crawled across to the tracking device. He held it up for Moby.

"Moby, crush this please ?" he asked. The device was taken from his hand and he saw it flattened in front of his eyes. "Thanks, Moby," Dan panted. "You'd better go visible now. You need to conserve your battery," Dan said, getting to his feet. Moby reappeared in front of him. "How much battery have you got left ?" Dan asked, rubbing his bruised ribs.

"Visible, 5 minutes," said Moby.

Dan was horrified. "That's not enough !" he said. "Come on ! Let's get out of here !" he ordered. The two started jogging down the corridor together.

"Battery at 0.5%," intoned Moby. "Systems shutting down."

"No ! Moby, you'll get caught and KORPS will reprogramme you. You won't be the same," Dan said desperately.

"You must continue your escape. I shall remain here. Shutting down systems," said Moby, halting at the side of the corridor. The lights behind Moby's eyes switched off. "Initiating system backup," said Moby. Then he went still and silent.

Dan stared helplessly at the motionless robot. Hearing voices approaching in the distance, he reluctantly turned and ran, wiping angry tears from his eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Search for a tracker.**

"_You must continue your escape. I shall remain here. Shutting down systems," said Moby, halting at the side of the corridor. The lights behind Moby's eyes switched off. "Initiating system backup," said Moby. Then he went still and silent._

_Dan stared helplessly at the motionless robot. Hearing voices approaching in the distance, he reluctantly turned and ran, wiping angry tears from his eyes._

Tom was overjoyed when Aneisha and Keri stepped up into his surveillance van. His face fell when he realised that Dan and Moby weren't with them. "They planted a tracker on Dan," said Keri. "KORPS did. They planted a tracker on him," she declared before throwing herself into a seat by a window, pulling her feet up on to the seat and pressing her face into her knees.

"Frank pulled the door closed and sat between Aneisha and Tom. "It makes sense," he said. "They've been on to you on every assignment. Did Dan say anything to you about his time in the KORPS base. We debriefed him, but I don't remember anything which could explain a tracker," he said.

Keri looked up slowly, rubbing her eyes. "He told me that he had a sort of vague memory about these men coming into his cell and injecting him with something. He doesn't remember what happened after that except when he woke up in the woods and KORPS were hunting him," she said.

"He didn't tell us about that," said Frank curiously.

"Well, I asked him later. Maybe he remembered then," suggested Keri. "It must have been a bad memory. He wasn't keen to talk about it," she added softly.

"I'm glad he told you Keri," Frank assured her. "I'm not angry with you." Frank stroked his chin. "If it is in the blood stream, that would explain why we detected nothing. His clothes were changed, so it wouldn't be in there," he said.

"Wait !" said Tom, holding up his hands. "Are you getting that ?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm getting a crackling noise," said Aneisha, listening to her comms device.

"Yes ! That's the noise yours made just before you came back in range," said Tom grinning. The others instantly sat up straight. "Dan ? Is that you ?" asked Tom.

"Tom ? Yeah," said a panting Dan. "I'm coming up a ladder. There's a big metal door at the top. Can you give me a hand ?" he asked.

Frank glanced at Tom's equipment. "I'm on my way Dan," he said, before getting out of the vehicle. A few minutes later a dishevelled looking Dan climbed in wearily. Keri leapt across and hugged him.

"Hey !" protested Dan before smiling. "Good to see you too," he said. Keri let him go and Dan flopped on to a seat. "Oh God ! That ladder was a hundred miles high !" he complained. He saw the look on Tom's face. "I'm sorry mate. Moby's battery ran out. I had to leave him," he said. Dan glanced away as he felt the angry tears threatening to run again. "I'm really sorry," he almost whispered.

There was a sad silence in the van before Tom reached over and pressed Dan's shoulder. "It's Okay Dan. I know you would have done your best. His batteries don't last forever," he said sadly.

"They'll turn him back into one of those killing THINGS !" hissed Dan, rubbing his face.

Aneisha and Keri moved over and sandwiched Dan between them. "He grows on you doesn't he ?" said Aneisha sympathetically. Dan nodded. "We'll all miss him," added Aneisha, "but it's not your fault Dan." She looked over to Frank who was finishing a phone call.

"Right, it's time we took you three home," he said briskly, noticing the mood had dropped. "MI9 should be able to recover those weapons this time. There's no way KORPS can get them out this quickly," he said with great satisfaction.

Tom looked at Frank in confusion. "Three ?" he said, pulling at his fingers. "There were four of us the last time I looked," he said.

"Ah, well I'll have to take Dan to MI9 Medical and see where KORPS injected this tracker," said Frank. "Sorry Dan," he added.

"We can come with Dan," said Keri. Tom and Aneisha nodded.

"You don't need to come," said Frank.

"Yes we do," said Keri firmly. She took Dan's hand and squeezed it tightly. "He doesn't have to go on his own," she said.

"And we never let Keri out on her own," said Tom, straight-faced.

"Oi !" complained Keri, making Dan and Aneisha giggle.

A couple of hours later, Tom was stifling a yawn. Tom, Aneisha and Keri were sitting in a medical room with Dan, who was still in a medical gown, sitting on an examination bed. He looked weary and Tom wasn't surprised. They had each taken turns going with Dan to be fed through one scanner after another. The medical team had taken what looked like buckets of blood out of his arm, and nobody seemed to be any closer to finding the tracker.

"Maybe they've built a DNA scanner like the one Frank made," suggested Aneisha.

Tom groaned. "I really hope not," he said.

The door opened and Frank walked in, followed by two of the medical team. They were carrying a tray with yet more needles. Dan looked at the tray and shrank away. "Haven't you got enough blood ?" he asked.

Frank took a deep breath. He seemed to be struggling to look positive. "One last try Dan. The nurses are going to inject you with a mild radioactive tracer and then try running you through the last scanner again. We're hoping it will light up anything unusual," he said, smiling.

"What if this doesn't work ?" asked Aneisha, as the two nurses lined up on Dan's bedside and started inserting needles into tubes.

"Then we'll take Dan home," said Frank.

"No, you can't !" snapped Dan. The others looked at him in surprise. "What about Mum and Dad and Sam ?" he asked. "KORPS can just follow me home and then they're all in danger," he said. "I have to stay here until you find it," he said flatly.

"Okay, just lie back and this'll be over in a few seconds," said the male nurse to Dan. Dan did as he was told and looked away from the needle going into his arm. Keri reached out and sympathetically squeezed his other hand. "Right, all done," said the nurse, withdrawing the needle. The nurse disposed of the needle and was packing up when Keri felt Dan's hand shaking.

"You Okay ?" she asked in concern.

"C c c cold," said Dan who was now visibly shivering.

"Strange," said the nurse in concern. He took Dan's temperature and then left the room. The other nurse got a blanket and wrapped it around Dan, who was starting to shake violently. More people rushed into the room, some of them towing equipment.

"Lower the bed," barked the doctor in charge. Keri was pushed to one side with the others as Dan's bed was surrounded by medical staff. "His temperature is dropping !" called out the doctor. "Get life support on ready," he ordered. In seconds, Dan was attached to a hundred wires and beeps were being issued by dozens of different machines. He started to groan and thrash around on the bed, now obviously in pain.

"Get me some of that radioactive tracer !" ordered Frank, looking angry. A flustered looking nurse led him from the room.

"We're here Dan," called out Keri through the bank of bodies surrounding Dan's bed. "It'll be Okay," she whispered.


	25. Chapter 25

**This is a sequel to "Not Knowing". The team are starting to form relationships while the everyday business of saving the world goes on as usual. Found it !**

**Okay, I clearly have far too much time on my hands right now. I've written another chappie so you may as well have it. Thanks for the reviews.**

_In seconds, Dan was attached to a hundred wires and beeps were being issued by dozens of different machines. He started to groan and thrash around on the bed, now obviously in pain._

"_Get me some of that radioactive tracer !" ordered Frank, looking angry. A flustered looking nurse led him from the room._

"_We're here Dan," called out Keri through the bank of bodies surrounding Dan's bed. "It'll be Okay," she whispered. _

Tom, Aneisha and Keri hugged one another tightly, watching the horror unfolding in front of them. They were obviously forgotten by the medical staff who worked quickly and tensely in front of them. The three agents cringed as Dan screamed and then went silent. Keri's face ran with tears. Aneisha took the other girl in her arms and hugged her gently. Tom wrapped his arms around both girls as best he could, trying to calm his own shaking body.

Gradually the beeping and alarms started to quieten down. "I don't believe it ! He's stabilising," said the main doctor. There was more activity amongst the medical staff before they started to pull away from the bed. The doctor turned and looked startled to find the three teenagers still standing there. He smiled a genuine smile at them. "He's going to be Okay," he said, clearly happy himself. "I don't honestly know what happened," he said.

"I do," said Frank, striding back into the room. He walked over to Dan's bed and saw him peacefully sleeping, still covered in wires and equipment. "I think he's going to be fine now," he added. Frank took the three startled agents in his arms. "I tested the tracer on Dan's blood. It turns out the tracer was microscopic and had attached itself to his red blood cells. The mild radioactive dose destroyed the trace nano-particles," he explained.

"Are they completely destroyed ?" asked the doctor, looking concerned.

"No, they're still there, just inactive now," said Frank. "I think you should flush it out of his blood stream to be on the safe side," he said to the doctor.

The doctor nodded. "We'll carry out a full blood transfusion," he said. "He can sleep through it."

Keri wiped her eyes. "He's going to be Okay ?" she quietly asked Frank.

Frank nodded kindly and stroked Keri's hair. "The worst is over. He's going to be fine," he assured her.

Relief flooded through the three agents. They were all exhausted by their experiences of the day and Frank dropped them off at home, before calling on Dan's family to explain that Dan would be home the next day, safe and sound.

A few days later the gang were back together, slouching on a bench in the school yard. Dan sat soaking in what little sunshine there was on the cool Autumn day, his left arm laid comfortably across Keri's shoulders. She leaned her head on to his shoulder, smiling slightly. Aneisha and Tom sat beside them chatting happily. "It's been kind of nice being normal for a few days," said Aneisha.

"Yeah, especially now that Dan's not got his own "You Are Here" arrow stuck on top of his head," joked Tom.

"Yeah, very funny !" complained Dan, flicking Tom's ear with his outstretched finger and thumb.

"Ow ! That hurt !" complained Tom, laughing. He squeezed up against Aneisha to get out of Dan's reach. "Do you remember much about, you know .." asked Tom uncertainly.

"No, not much," said Dan, scratching the back of his head. "All a bit vague really," he added.

"Good !" said Tom, Aneisha and Keri simultaneously.

Dan looked at them all curiously. "That bad huh ?" he asked quietly.

"No, worse," said Keri quietly.

Dan smiled gently at her, squeezed her tightly and kissed the side of her head. He would have hated to watch any of them suffering too so he pretended not to notice Tom turning his head away to wipe his eye. The trouble with being a spy was that you noticed all of these things. It wasn't possible to switch off and just enjoy the day any more. Once a spy, always a spy. "Have you managed to track down Moby ?" Dan asked Tom.

Tom looked down at the ground and shrugged his shoulders sadly. "Nope. I put a tracker on him, but I guess KORPS must have found it and removed it," he said.

"I wish KORPS had taken the missiles and left Moby," said Dan. Tom looked at him in astonishment. "Yeah, I know. I was never that keen on him. I guess he turned out to be, you know, good to have around," admitted Dan sheepishly.

Tom smiled slightly. "We should be pleased that the missiles are back with the military," said Tom. "Everyone is safer," he added. "Moby was just a machine," he said. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

"You learned a lot didn't you ?" asked Aneisha, encouragingly.

Tom nodded silently and then checked his watch. "Come on. Time to go back in," he said. "Maths ! Your favourite Dan !"

Dan groaned. "Did you say something about how nice it was to be normal again ?" he asked Aneisha.

"Yeah, well, nobody's perfect," admitted Aneisha.

They arrived in class and had barely sat down when Frank stuck his head round the door. "Ah, Mrs. King, Mr. Flatley has asked for a few of the students to help reorganise in the library. Four actually," he said. Dan, Tom, Aneisha and Keri shot up their hands.

Mrs King looked startled. "Oh, well yes, I expect that will be alright," she said. "Off you go then," she added, waving to the four teens.

The four agents shot out of the room before she changed her mind. The four teens followed Frank expectantly, already getting into mission mode. They were shocked to find themselves in the library.

"Frank ?" said Tom, looking baffled.

"Ah, students, thankyou for coming," said a familiar voice. Stella was standing behind the library desk, wearing a pair of glasses.

"I don't think every librarian in the world wears glasses you know Stella," said Aneisha, sounding amused.

"Yes, well, I ran out of contact lenses," said Stella, clearing her throat and pushing her glasses back up her nose. "I need you to look at this," she said, pointing to the screen of a laptop. They all clustered around Stella to look at the screen.

"Erm, Stella. It's all fine and stuff, but why are we here ?" asked Keri in a whisper. "Why aren't we in the base ?"

Stella looked up at Frank and frowned. "Ah, well, the base is undergoing a deep-clean," said Frank, running his ringer round his collar. They all looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Sewage leak," said Stella heavily.

"EEEEEuw !" said Keri and Aneisha. Tom and Dan just winced silently. "It was a sewer wasn't it ?" whined Keri.

"It is now," said Stella, glancing sideways at Frank.

"Oh, come on ! It's not that bad !" protested Frank. "It'll be absolutely fine in a couple of days. In the meantime, we're making use of the school's facilities," he said. "And I think we should get on with it !"

Smiling they all turned back to the computer screen. "We think this is a KORPS facility which is engaged in the manufacture of chemical weapons," said Stella quietly. They watched film of what looked like an ordinary building. People were going in and out carrying oddly shaped cases. "It is masquerading as a music school," said Stella. "We need you to infiltrate and find out where the manufacture is taking place."

"Ah, good, I'm glad you're getting straight to work !" said a loud voice. They all looked up startled to find Mrs. King watching them. She looked satisfied. "Make sure they don't shirk won't you librarian !" she ordered.

"Oh, yes," said Stella faintly, surreptitiously closing the MI9 video image in front of her. "I'll certainly be keeping them busy," she said. "Will that be alright Mrs. King ?" she asked.

"That will be fine. I don't want them getting themselves into trouble," said Mrs. King, turning on her heels and click clacking off down the corridor.

"Well, that's going to be tricky," said Dan drily.


End file.
